High log prices and flat demand pressure French sawmills

Rising log prices, sluggish sawn timber demand, and weak consumption are creating mounting pressure on French sawmills specialized in fir and spruce. In a context of economic slowdown and political uncertainty, many producers are questioning whether the market can regain momentum in 2026. Sawn timber prices weaken after mid-year recovery After falling by about 25% between June 2022 and the end of 2024, fir and spruce sawn timber prices saw a modest rebound in the first half of 2025, gaining 5% to 10% depending on the product grade (see Table 1). However, by autumn the trend had ...