Article Economic Impacts of Forest Storms—Taking Stock of After-Vaia Situation of Local Roundwood Markets in Northeastern Italy Alberto Udali 1,* , Nicola Andrighetto 2, Stefano Grigolato 1 and Paola Gatto 1,* 1 Dipartimento TESAF, Università degli Studi di Padova, viale dell’Università 16, 35020 PD Legnaro, Italy;
[email protected] 2 Etifor Srl, Piazza A. De Gasperi 41, 35131 Padova, Italy;
[email protected] * Correspondence:
[email protected] (A.U.);
[email protected] (P.G.); Tel.: +39-049-8272719 (P.G.) Abstract: Large timber availability after storms can lead to a drop in timber prices that can impact local markets. The Vaia storm, which occurred in Northeastern Italy at the end of October 2018, felled large volumes of timber, particularly spruce. To estimate the loss in volume and value connected to Vaia, data of roundwood sales from four local markets (Province of Trento, Province of Bolzano, Veneto Region and Friuli Venezia Giulia Region) were collected before and after Vaia, as well as reports on the status of salvage operations. The results confirm that Vaia had a strong impact on Northeastern Italy. A large area of the forest was hit and massive volumes of wood were affected. The analysis of prices showed a negative trend in the post-Vaia period due to an increase in volume per sale, especially for stumpage sales. It also highlighted the difficulties of storing the salvaged wood and the consequent fast saturation of the market. Although it was not possible to assess long-term effects on the four local markets, the presence and use of local e-commerce platforms proved useful in making roundwood sales more organized and efficient.