The face-to-face auction of valuable assortments of hardwood in the Czech Republic: A history and current state

Face-to-face auctions of valuable timber assortments have operated regularly in the Czech Republic since 2015, but their development and market role have not previously been quantified. This study analysed 426 aggregated auction records from 2015–2025 and examined temporal trends in recorded auction volume and realised auction prices, seasonal distribution, species-specific offered volumes and the relationship between auction prices and comparable Czech national oak prices. Across the completed 2015/2016–2024/2025 seasons, recorded auction volume increased from 1 544.21 m3 to 14 681.95 m3, with an estimated mean increase of 1 426 m3 per season and 85.8% of the variation explained by the fitted trend. Q1 accounted for 82.1% of the combined Q4–Q1 recorded auction volume, and the quarterly difference was significant (P = 0.002). Significant upward trends were detected in total recorded auction volume and in the species-specific offered volumes of oak and larch, whereas no significant monotonic trends were detected in inflation-adjusted realised auction prices. Oak (Quercus sp.) accounted for 66.1% of the total volume offered, followed by European larch (Larix decidua Mill.; 17.4%) and European ash (Fraxinus excelsior L.; 8.6%). Rare admixed species occurred only sporadically, providing insufficient evidence of systematic price premiums. Inflation-adjusted realised auction prices for oak were strongly associated with comparable Czech national mean prices (Pearson's R = 0.839; P < 0.001), although this relationship does not establish causality. Czech face-to-face auctions therefore represent a growing but specialised sales channel, principally for valuable oak and larch assortments; assessment of their causal market effects requires comparable transaction-level data.