Stora Enso's operating profit in the first quarter of 2008 excluding non-recurring items is expected to be close to the level achieved in the fourth quarter of 2007 and therefore considerably lower than in the first quarter of 2007. This is due to the high costs of already purchased sawlogs, particularly relative to the weakening market in Europe as a consequence of excessive sawlog supplies due to recent storms in Central Europe.
Improvements in some business areas are expected to be more than offset by poor results in Wood Products, which will report an operating loss including a negative revaluation of sawlog inventories in the first quarter. There will also be a provision in Wood Supply for weather damage to the Group's plantation in China, which will be reported segmentally under Other.
As already announced, Stora Enso is curtailing Wood Products' production of sawnwood and glue-laminated posts and beams in Austria, the Baltic States and Finland. In view of the weaker market outlook, Stora Enso is planning further curtailments of sawnwood production during the rest of 2008. Owing to the likely effects of the storms, the segment Wood Products will struggle to produce an operating profit for the full year 2008.
The newsprint and book paper price negotiations have nearly concluded. The result is an average price decline, for all newsprint and book paper grades together, of between 3 and 4% in local currencies.
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