In 2025, forest owners in Bulgaria, and the entire forestry sector, faced an extremely serious problem.
After many years of operation, the Mondi Stamboliyski EAD plant, part of the Mondi Group, one of the world's largest pulp and paper producers, stopped operating. It was also the largest user of technological softwood.
Although the plant is located in central Bulgaria, it accepted wood from all over the country. The wood accepted was from the technological category or wood of the lowest quality, which is not suitable for any other type of processing. It was purchased for the purpose of crushing and producing pulp. It is a main ingredient in the production of paper and cardboard.
This type of wood is always an inevitable part of the total quantity in logging. There is always a market for high-quality wood, but it is difficult to sell this low-quality raw material. It took decades to produce it, and when it turns out that after so many years there is nowhere to sell it, it is a heavy financial blow to the forestry sector and forest owners.
The closure of this plant led to the storage of this raw material in the forest for a long time and its abandonment. The accumulation of this raw material in the forest is a prerequisite for the development of pests. The owners suffer financial losses and for this reason reduce its yield. Part of the forestry sector is looking for new opportunities for the sale of technological wood. It finds it in the production of wood and pellets for heating. Unfortunately, at the moment this market is limited compared to the capabilities of the producers. And the trend is to decrease with each passing year.
The cessation of the work of Mondi Stamboliyski EAD in 2025 is only 2-3 years after the excess demand for this raw material. In 2022, record levels of consumption were reached, both in quantities and, accordingly, in price.
The inability to realize technological wood will directly reflect on the youngest forests, those up to 40-50 years of age. The silvicultural activities carried out for the purpose of cultivation and thinning will decrease. When carrying out these silvicultural activities, exactly such wood is mainly harvested, and this will be reflected in the quality of forest plantations for decades to come.
SMURF project.
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