Poland’s wood-processing industry is warning that technical rules introduced at the start of 2026 may be increasing the reported volume of timber while reducing both the physical quantity and usable quality received by factories. State Forests presents the changes as a standardisation of measurement and classification. Industry organisations argue that the combined effect is higher real material costs and additional pressure on a sector already facing weak demand and declining employment.
The dispute is not about a single measurement parameter. It concerns the cumulative effect of stack measurement, bark deductions, conversion factors, curvature rules and wider acceptance of defects such as blue stain, deteriorated knots and decay.
According to the Coalition for Polish Wood, each of these changes can reduce the amount of material that a processing plant can actually use, even when the invoiced or reported volume appears unchanged.
The same reported volume may mean less physical timber
An analysis by Anna Święcicka-Kujawiak published in “Przemysł Drzewny. Research&Development” argues that the new rules can create the appearance of stable supply despite a lower physical amount of wood reaching buyers.
In 2025, State Forests sold 14.2 million cubic metres of coniferous pulpwood and 3.3 million cubic metres of deciduous pulpwood, a total of 17.5 million cubic metres.
Until 2025, stacked timber included a 5% excess height allowance. The industry argues that if reported sales in 2026 remain at a similar level after that allowance is removed, the physical amount of timber delivered to the market could be more than 1 million cubic metres lower.
The Coalition for Polish Wood estimates that when all technical changes are considered together, the difference could reach as much as 2 million cubic metres. The Polish Chamber of Commerce of the Wood Industry, PIGPD, has cited a similar scale. It estimates that a reported 2026 supply of 37.2 million cubic metres would correspond to around 35.8 million cubic metres under the previous technical rules, a difference of approximately 1.4 million cubic metres.
Quality changes raise the cost of usable material
Industry representatives also argue that the new classification standards allow more defects within the same formal category. If a buyer pays for the same unit but receives timber with greater curvature, more blue stain, decay or damaged knots, the effective cost of usable wood increases.
Processing plants must remove more defective material, deal with more waste and may face lower production yields and a higher risk of quality complaints.
The coalition is asking State Forests to publish a representative comparative analysis showing the combined impact of the new rules on the quantity, quality and economic value of timber delivered to buyers. If no such study was carried out before implementation, the group is proposing a joint independent assessment.
Industry also opposes proposed 2027–2028 sales rules
The dispute extends beyond technical standards. State Forests is also proposing changes to timber sales rules for 2027–2028. According to the industry, the share of offer-based sales to regular customers would fall from 75% to 70%, while the auction share would rise from 25% to 30%. Buyers could submit offers for up to 105% of their historical purchase volume, with a technical pool of up to 7%.
The coalition argues that this would intensify price competition at a time when timber supply is already around 4 million cubic metres below its long-term average. During the purchasing procedure for the second half of 2026, it says open-auction prices rose by more than 100% from the base level in some cases.
Wood and furniture companies have lost more than 45,000 jobs
The new rules are being introduced during a difficult period for Poland’s wood and furniture industries. According to coalition estimates, the structural raw-material gap exceeds 7 million cubic metres a year.
The value of sold production in wood-processing sectors fell from PLN 238.5 billion in 2022 to around PLN 203.1 billion in 2025. More than 45,000 jobs have disappeared from the wood and furniture industries.
Industry organisations also point to a widening gap between raw-material costs and product prices. Since 2020, prices of timber sold by State Forests have increased by more than 60%, while the price of a sample white furniture board has risen by around 26%.
Companies are simultaneously dealing with high financing and energy costs, weaker domestic and export demand and competition from Asian imports. Where producers cannot pass higher timber costs on to customers, the impact is absorbed through lower margins, reduced investment, weaker liquidity or job cuts.
A broader debate over State Forests’ market role
The coalition argues that State Forests has a special responsibility because it simultaneously influences timber measurement rules, sales conditions and the scale of supply. The organisation says decisions should therefore be assessed not only through the financial performance of State Forests but also through their effect on the entire value chain.
Industry representatives note that Polish forests grow by roughly 60–70 million cubic metres of standing timber annually, while harvesting by State Forests has fallen by around 4 million cubic metres over the past two years to approximately 37 million cubic metres.
The coalition is calling for four measures: a pause in technical changes that materially affect purchasing economics until their impact is assessed; an independent comparative study of old and new rules; publication of a cumulative balance of quantity, quality and economic effects; and a permanent consultation mechanism for future technical changes.
The claims represent the position of industry organisations in an ongoing dispute with State Forests. Their estimates and conclusions should be read as part of that debate rather than as independently established findings.
Source: ManagerPlus; Coalition for Polish Wood, PIGPD and Anna Święcicka-Kujawiak, “Przemysł Drzewny. Research&Development”, No. 3/2026.
