In Sweden, the forest owners association Norra Skog has announced that it will invest "strategically and long-term" by constructing a timber terminal on a former sawmill site in Östavall.
The investment amounts to approximately SEK 57 million (≈ EUR 5 million) and will contribute to securing the supply to the forest owners’ association’s fiber and sawmill industries.
The goal is for the facility in Östavall to be in operation in the second half of 2024 and initially, two to three people will work at the facility and in the future slightly more. In the area, opportunities will be created for the handling and storage of biomass fuels, but above all logs, said Henrik Jönsson, Industrial Manager for Norra Skog.
Sustainable logistics solution
At the Östavall timber terminal, full train sets of just over 600 meters will be able to load and unload both sawlogs and pulpwood.
The facility will use both remote camera measurement and physical measurement by personnel on site.
The investment is clearly linked to the association’s sustainability efforts, where new logistics solutions are constantly being sought.
Norra Skog expects that up to 300 000 m3fub of logs will be transported from the Östavall timber terminal, and the investment also strengthens the integration and logistics solutions for its subsidiary Meraskog, which has its timber catchment area south of Norra Skog’s area of operation.
Östavall’s timber terminal is important to us because it is located in a geographically strategic area for our business and the investment is also in line with our sustainability work where we constantly work to put timber on rail instead of using long-distance truck haulage on poorly maintained Norrland roads, explained Henrik Jönsson.
