German sawmills warn of crisis as log prices climb to new records

Benchmark prices for softwood sawlogs have climbed to an all-time high in spring 2026, with spruce and pine leading the rally. The surge is striking because it comes against a backdrop of subdued sales markets at home and abroad. Germany’s wider economy remains fragile. In early February, the Ifo Institute described the country as still in crisis mode at the start of the year. The Ifo Business Climate Index has been stuck in the 85–90 range since mid-2023, with little sign of a sustained turnaround. Construction, a key end-use sector for wood products, has ...