The euphoria that characterized France's oak market in 2017-2018 is now about to end. This is one of the conclusions of the public sale of Beaune (Côte d'Or) in Burgundy, organized by the French National Forest Office (ONF).
The results of the Burgundy auction clearly confirm the tendencies of weakening in demand which already were noticeable at the end of this spring's auctions.
It's a already a fact, since the beginning of the year, the market has turned. The slowdown in economic activity in China has had the effect of curbing trade with the outside world. By the end of the first quarter of 2019, the exporters of oak logs found themselves with stacks of containers stuck in ports or with heaps of wood waiting in parks or roadside.
