world news - 03.06.2003

UPM-Kymmene has established a company for wood procurement in the Baltic countries

UPM-Kymmene Corporation has established a company for wood procurement in the Baltic countries. The company, UPM-Kymmene Forest AS, will be responsible for the pulpwood and wood chip deliveries from and via the Baltic countries to UPM-Kymmene's Finnish mills as well as birch log deliveries to UPM-Kymmene's plywood mill, FSS Plywood AS, located in Otep??, Estonia. The mill uses currently approximately 60,000 cubic metres of raw wood material annually.

It is estimated that the fibre raw material deliveries exported from the Baltic countries to Finland will increase up to more than one million cubic metres annually in the next few years.

UPM-Kymmene Forest AS is based in Tallinn, Estonia. Forester T?nis Mдerand has been appointed as Managing Director of the company. He has previously worked as Chairman of AS Forestex, a company earlier in charge of UPM-Kymmene's wood procurement in Estonia. UPM-Kymmene withdrew from the ownership of AS Forestex as part of a transaction in Estonia with Stora Enso.

• — West African Log Market in May - 04.06.2003
• — Danish Furniture Trade: The Danish trade balance in furniture in 2002 was positive with exports exceeding imports - 04.06.2003
• — The Chinese government has abolished a special tax rate on Russian market pulp and newsprint imports which are transported via land. - 05.06.2003
• — Russia is increasing its exports of wood and paper products. Currency earnings from exports of wood and paper products in January-February came to $763.1 million, which is 11% more than the same period of last year. - 29.05.2003
• — China Becomes Global Furniture Manufacturing Center. In 2002, China's total furniture output value arrived at USD 20 billion, an equivalent of RMB 165 billion, accounting for 10% of the world's total furniture output value. - 26.05.2003