High electricity prices boost firewood sales as sellers shun imports

Rising electricity prices have increased demand for firewood in Finland, but most private sellers still rely on domestic timber, Yle reports. Almost all major retail chains have switched to imported firewood, mainly from Latvia.

Imports of firewood from Latvia increased by as much as 1,600 percent in 2023 compared with 2021. Imports have stabilised in recent years, while demand for both domestic and imported firewood has grown as electricity has become more expensive.

Stig Johan Westergård, owner of the Vaasanklapi online store, was one of the few private sellers to try imported wood. He ordered one truckload from Tartu, Estonia, after his domestic supply nearly ran out during a cold spell in January and February last year.

Westergård says the wood imported from Latvia is delivered in 40 litre bags and has been dry, consistent in quality and comparable with Finnish firewood. It also arrives pre bagged at the same price.

He says he prefers to source wood from Finland, usually from producers in the surrounding area. His company also has some production of its own in Närpiö.

Customers, however, are divided over imported firewood. Some do not want wood from the Baltic countries, possibly because they fear it could come from Russia. Others mainly want affordable wood that will provide heat, regardless of its origin.

Local timber remains the only option for some sellers

Eero Raina, who has sold local birch for more than 20 years through his company Klapukauppa, says imported wood is not an option. Several suppliers have offered him firewood from Estonia.

Raina says local sourcing is important to him and that he would rather end the business, as he is approaching retirement age. Imported firewood would also be impractical because it is delivered in bags, while his customers buy loose wood.

Large volumes of cheaper Baltic firewood nevertheless appeal to retail chains, he says.

Marjaana Kiilunen, owner of Klapila, one of Finland’s largest firewood sellers, says her company previously supplied chains that have since replaced domestic wood with imports. Klapila mainly delivers firewood to the Helsinki region and southern Finland, as well as abroad.

Kiilunen says the change is unsurprising because both domestic and imported wood provide heat, leaving price to determine many purchasing decisions. Finland’s economic situation in recent years has also forced many consumers to prioritise their spending.

She would still like consumers to place greater value on domestic products. Klapila sources all of its firewood through the Lapua forest management association. At the same time, she says, domestic production cannot be maintained indefinitely if consumers are no longer willing to pay for it.