Forest prices edge higher as South Savo rises 13.5%

The average price of forest land in Finland rose 1% to about 4,520 euros per hectare from January to September, despite falling timber prices, Yle reports. Prices in the South Savo region climbed 13.5% from a year earlier.

About 1,750 forest properties larger than 10 hectares changed hands during the first nine months of the year, 6% fewer than in the same period last year, according to the National Land Survey of Finland.

Forest prices remained relatively stable even as the price of pulpwood fell by a quarter compared with January to September 2025. Pine and birch sawlog prices were down 5%, the agency said.

The average price in South Savo was 6,600 euros per hectare, nearly 800 euros more than a year earlier. In Satakunta, the average fell 9% to 6,200 euros.

Forest land was most expensive in Southwest Finland, at about 6,950 euros per hectare, with prices almost as high in Päijät-Häme and Uusimaa. Lapland was the least expensive, with an average of about 1,700 euros per hectare.

Jani Seppälä, a senior specialist at the National Land Survey, said forests are long-term investments, so changes in timber prices do not affect forest values as sharply. Prices also vary with growing conditions and the distance timber must be transported to factories.