Stora Enso to retain Central European sawmills – plans to close one production line

Stora Enso will retain its Central European sawmills and building solutions operations following a strategic review. The company is planning measures to improve profitability that may affect up to 250 employees. The small log line at its Brand sawmill in Austria is scheduled for closure by the end of March 2027, subject to consultation.

Aerial view of Stora Enso’s Bad St. Leonhard sawmill in Austria, with mill buildings and extensive timber storage areas surrounded by fields and forested mountains. — Stora Enso’s Bad St. Leonhard sawmill in Austria in 2023. The company will retain its Central European sawmills but is planning measures to improve profitability. The proposed small log line closure concerns the Brand sawmill, not the facility pictured.

Stora Enso has concluded the strategic review announced in November 2025. It covered a business unit comprising seven sawmills in Austria, Czechia, Poland and Lithuania, three cross-laminated timber (CLT) mills, wood procurement, and international sales and distribution.

According to the company, the review identified opportunities to improve profitability, leading to the decision to retain the business within Stora Enso.

President and CEO Hans Sohlström says the company needs to adjust the size of its organisation to changing business needs and difficult market conditions. The planned measures respond to slow market growth and rising costs.

Wood procurement at Brand would continue

Stora Enso plans to close the small log line at the Brand sawmill by the end of the first quarter of 2027. According to the company, the line would require significant investment.

Wood procurement and the mill’s other production line would continue operating as usual. Customers of the small log line would be served by other mills.

The company also plans structural changes within its Central European business unit. The measures may affect up to 250 employees in total. Stora Enso has not specified the number of potential job losses.

No decisions on the planned closure or employee impact will be made until the consultations required under local rules and regulations have been completed.