Essity will invest ~SEK 850M over three years in a new tissue machine at Lilla Edet, Sweden — Q4 2028 start, 50% more capacity than the machine it replaces, runs virgin or recycled fibre; the site employs ~400 (Lesprom, PULPAPERnews)
Opposition to CMPC's US$4.8B (R$27B), 3 Mtpy bleached-eucalyptus Barra do Ribeiro mill in Rio Grande do Sul hit the streets: ~300 marched on state agency Fepam Nov. 11. The Oct. 23 preliminary licence doesn't allow construction (installation licence still needed), and a fast-tracked state bill would strip protection from 17.5 ha for port and effluent structures — it blocks the assembly's agenda from Dec. 4 if not voted (Rio Times)
Hokuetsu swung to a ¥1.44B operating loss in April–September as raw-material and fuel costs soared despite sales +5.6%; it kept a full-year forecast of operating profit down 60.2% (Lesprom)
Commerce will set a 9.54% final antidumping rate on Spanish thermal-paper maker Torraspapel, 1.85 points above the May preliminary (Lesprom)
Forestry & Timber
Metsä Wood opened a strategic review of its UK business (Boston and King's Lynn sites), citing profitability challenges; conclusion expected H1 2027. It follows February's cut of up to 140 of 250 Boston roles after B&Q ended its supply deal (Investing.com, Lesprom)
Madison's Lumber Prices Index fell to US$444/mfbm for the week ending Nov. 13 (−$5 w/w, −10% from $495 a month ago) — sixth straight weekly decline; US softwood lumber producer prices fell 3.1% m/m in October but remain +10.6% y/y (Lesprom, Lesprom)
Commerce issued final antidumping orders on hardwood/decorative plywood: China 187.27%, Indonesia 15.40–84.94% (18.10% for non-named producers), Vietnam 90.12%; deposits have been collected since March 2 and structural softwood plywood is excluded (Lesprom)
Only 32% of Swedish private forest owners plan to harvest in 2026/27, down from 42%; those rating forestry profitability positively fell 9 points to 59% (Lesprom)
Update: Koskisen's Q3 (reported Nov. 12) shows the squeeze behind its restructuring talks — revenue +8.2% to €90.7M, but Sawn Timber EBITDA fell to €1.0M from €2.6M on high sawlog and freight costs while Panels rose to €1.8M from €0.2M; 9M adj. EBITDA €16.9M vs €22.7M (Fordaq)
ThirdGen Timber Group bought PrecisionCraft Log & Timber Homes, Riverbend Timber Framing, M.T.N Design and TimberScape from PFB Custom Homes Group (Riverside Company), giving it seven brands and ~100,000 sq ft of manufacturing across Ontario, BC, Idaho and Michigan; terms undisclosed (PULPAPERnews)
Canada's wood product manufacturing sales fell 7.0% m/m in September to C$2.86B; paper manufacturers' sales fell 2.3% to C$2.54B (Lesprom)
Germany's sawmill industry meets in Wiesbaden Nov. 18–19 with DeSH reporting sector output down almost 9% in January–August on top of a weak 2025 (GWMI)
Wood Pellets & Biomass
The Bundestag approved RED III amendments to Germany's Biomass Ordinance on Nov. 12: sawlogs, veneer logs and stumps/roots lose EEG renewable-power support while industrial wood residues stay eligible, with exceptions where energy security requires it or no local higher-value use exists; the promulgated text is still pending (Fordaq, Lesprom)
Mt. Bachelor (Oregon) fired up its Wood Fuel Energy Facility — a 1,000 kW biomass boiler burning ~1,000 t/yr of minimally processed chips from Deschutes National Forest restoration work, displacing ~150,000 gal of propane a year; Deschutes County held the ribbon-cutting Nov. 12 (Unofficial Networks, SAM)
EU wood pellet imports rose 37.5% y/y in August with prices up 4.5% (Lesprom)
Industry Technology Vendors
HOMAG — Q3 EBIT before special effects of €19M (5.7% margin) was its best quarter of 2026 on cost cuts, though 9M orders fell 4% to €923M and sales 8% to €966M; backlog €677M. Timber-house automation demand is holding up better than furniture, and the full-year margin target of 5.0–6.5% stands (Fordaq)
