A number of factors are currently influencing the wood sourcing dynamics for birch. The current downturn in the industry has led to a demand decrease. Despite a general decline, demand for non-Russian birch remains solid. Additionally, the stable harvest of Finnish birch pulpwood and logs is experiencing significant price increases, prompting potential market adjustments and temporary increases in harvest volumes to meet demand.
The biofuel industry faces a critical challenge as it navigates the changing landscape of transportation fuels. There is a risk that biodiesel and bioethanol might serve merely as transitional fuels until full electrification of the vehicle fleet. Amidst these dynamics, the biofuel industry is engaged in an upbeat discussion around sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) and their potential to dominate the biofuel market in the future. What is the role of the forest industry in this equation? Could collaborative efforts between the forest industry and biofuel sectors address the widely acknowledged challenge of feedstock availability?
Common reasons for not reaching the full potential of tall oil are outdated technology, not enough demand for CTO, and remote locations making it unfeasible to extract and ship elsewhere. Outdated technology can be solved through investments into modern extraction technologies, which are far better compared to the ones developed in the 1980s and 1990s.