Forestry events back in the real world

  • South Africans Gary Olsen of Tigercat (right) and Dirk Laengin of Mondi (left) at Elmia with the SP crew, back in the day!

Popular forestry and wood processing events are slowly coming back out of the woodwork into the real world after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Close to home, our own Forestry South Africa, which represents the interests of the vast majority of timber growers in South Africa, has scheduled their Annual General Meeting for May 5, at the Fern Hill Convention Centre at Tweedie in the KZN Midlands. This popular event is always well attended, but this year the numbers are going to have to be restricted somewhat to accommodate COVID-19 protocols which are still in place.

The FSA office has promised more info on the arrangements around this upcoming event closer to the time.

An expo that focuses more on the processing side of the industry, WoodEX for Africa, will hold their popular expo at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Johannesburg from 7-9 June 2022. This expo features a broad range of exhibitors from forestry through sawmilling to secondary processing and woodworking, and will be held alongside the Deck and Flooring Expo.

Further afield, the world's leading forestry fair, Elmia Wood, is also back. It will be held once again in the forests south of Jönköping, Sweden from 2nd to 4th June 2022. This year’s event will focus on innovative and sustainable forestry methods for the future, and is expected to attract forestry stakeholders and visitors from around the world.

  • Accumulation and handling of forest slash/biomass for energy was all the rage at the 2009 Elmia Wood forestry fair.

The fair will take place in the fantastic and versatile forest at Bratteborg, south of Jönköping, Sweden. Elmia Wood is an extensive fair and meeting place for forest owners, contractors, administrators and everyone interested in the forest. Visitors can learn about the latest products, discover innovations and gain new knowledge, and create opportunities for new business deals. 

"We are facing complex challenges involving forest damage and bark beetles plus an increased need for felling, while at the same time many people are promoting standing timber as a carbon sink. As a result, many forest owners today are left wondering how they should manage their forests in the future," says Anders Roman of Elmia.

"Recently there has been a strong debate on the value of the forest and how it should be managed and cared for, and we can clearly see that all the various forest stakeholders are in need of a meeting place. That's why we're also hosting on-stage discussions and panel debates."

The topics will include the EU's taxonomy, the climate, biodiversity and fossil-free forest management. A moderator and various guests will hold on-stage debates that visitors can take part in.

"We're working intensively with the fair right now and are really looking forward to hosting Elmia Wood 2022, which will bring the products and know-how together in one place," said Anders.

SA Forestry Editor Chris Chapman visited Elmia Wood back in 2009 and saw some old school forestry technology alongside the latest cutting edge innovations, many of which are now commonplace in forestry operations around the world. Here are some photos from that 2009 visit …

  • Horse power is still used in European forests, helping to keep harvesting impacts to a minimum.
  • Heavy lift speeds up harvest logistics.
  • Old school wood processing system on show.

For more info, visit the following websites:-
www.forestrysouthafrica.co.za
www.woodexforafrica.com
www.elmia.se/wood/