journal of forest science

Prices of spruce timber and costs of spruce timber logging
V. PETRÁŠOVÁ, J. MECKO, R. PETRÁŠ
Forest Research Institute, Zvolen, Slovak Republic
ABSTRACT: The paper presents detailed analysis of price trends of spruce timber assortments and the own costs of spruce
timber logging in the state forests of Slovakia in the period 1988–1997. Besides average prices also variation coefficients
are available. Costs of timber logging were analyzed according to the respective logging operations such as felling, skidding,
timber handling and transportation as well as logging related activities. In the period of observation the prices of
spruce timber increased according to assortments 2.7–3.8 times in comparison with 1988. Also the costs of spruce timber
logging increased 4.0–5.7 times. The costs of timber logging in the period of observation were increasing relatively evenly
but the prices of timber were increasing mainly until 1992.
Keywords: spruce; assortments; timber price; logging costs
Annual harvest in the Slovak Republic is about 5.5–
5.8 million m 3 of timber. Though the tree species composition
of felled trees as well assortment composition are
diverse, this volume influences the forest sector very significantly,
particularly the forest economics. The volume
of timber, tree species and assortment composition influence
significantly also the revenues and the costs of
the economic result. Since 1990 macro-economic conditions
in forestry commercial activities have changed very
importantly. It was particularly in the introduction of market
prices for raw timber and competitive environment
on the labour market as well as providing of goods services.
Though timber prices have their own importance in
forestry, the issues of price formation were not paid appropriate
attention in former Czechoslovakia. It was similar
for the analysis and development of price
formation. We can mention from the older publications
the paper by POLENO (1984) dealing with analysis and
prognosis of timber price trends, then the papers by
HALAJ et al. (1990) and PETRÁŠ et al. (1992).
After 1990 more marked changes occurred also in the
dynamics of trends of raw timber prices. orestry circles
responded to this fact, by that time already in the independent
Czech Republic and Slovak Republic, and they
regularly published surveys of average prices of raw timber
according to the basic quality classes of timber. In
the Czech Republic such surveys were published in
Lesnická práce or in the Survey of Timber Prices of the
Institute for Wood Technology Research and Development
in Prague using the data from the Czech Statistical
Office. The surveys contained average prices from the
JOURNAL O OREST SCIENCE, 47, 2001 (7): 322–330
supplies of raw timber to domestic market according to
quality classes for logs, namely quality class I, II, IIIA,
IIIB, IV, V and VI, and main commercial tree species but
also to some neighbouring countries. In the Slovak Republic
a similar survey is being published by the Institute
for orest Management Lesoprojekt Zvolen using statistical
data from statistical reports Les D (Ministry of Agriculture
of SR) 2-04. This survey is being published for
a higher number of tree species than in the Czech Republic,
but quality classes of logs IIIA and IIIB are incorporated
into one average price. A shortcoming of both
surveys is that they do not contain timber prices according
to diameter classes of logs.
Costs of spruce timber logging in Slovakia were studied
comprehensively only by HALAJ et al. (1990) and
PETRÁŠ et al. (1992). They studied the costs to express
a net yield of value production. They derived an inductive
procedure and constructed the basic algorithm for
the quantification of costs of the whole logging process.
MATERIALS AND METHODOLOGY
Background data to judge the trend of raw timber
prices and the costs of its production were obtained from
the statistics of state forest enterprises in Slovakia for the
years 1988–1997.
TIMBER PRICES
Timber prices were derived according to basic assortments,
it means quality classes of logs, namely I, II, IIIA,
IIIB, V and VI quality class, and diameter classes of logs
330 J. FOR. SCI., 47, 2001 (7): 322–330