Highlights For The Forestry Industry

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As the primary link in the timber production and supply chain, the forestry industry will play a key role at LIGNA HANNOVER 2009 (18 to 22 May). The fair features a complete overview of the international forestry industry, with in-depth information about the latest innovative products and processes. Trade visitors will find the latest solutions that meet the ever-changing requirements in the forestry and timber industries - everything, from timber harvesting and hauling systems, to machinery, equipment and tools. The key trends in these areas will be on display on the open-air site and in the pavilions under the Expo canopy. All this, plus the sheer wealth of special displays dedicated to forestry technology, make LIGNA HANNOVER 2009 an absolute must for anyone involved in the industry.

Among the new features of this year's fair is the Careers in the Forestry & Wood Industries special display in Pavilion 33, where industry experts and machinery manufacturers will be sharing information on careers and job openings in the forestry and wood industries.

Also new is the Hot Innovations Pavilion (Pavilion 34), which examines the latest trends in energy and resource efficiency, enhanced comfort and safety for forestry workers, low-impact harvesting, logistics chain optimization and bioenergy. Based on solid research, the information is presented from a user perspective and is readily accessible. The pavilion is organized by the German Forestry Council (KWF).

Another new feature is the Forestry & Energy Information Desk, located next to the Hermes tower on the open-air site. There, industry experts will be providing detailed information on the fair's forestry-sector exhibitors, innovative products, forums and special presentations.

Conferences, seminars, forums and special presentations on forestry and forestry technology

The "KWF/AFL/NFBZ LIGNA Entrepreneurial Expertise Center" is geared to forestry professionals working in service organizations and forestry firms, and addresses fundamental issues facing today's forestry companies. Located under the EXPO canopy, the center also features web technologies for the forestry industry, with an impressive line-up including ELDAT, NavLog and QS Harvester. These technologies are based on recognized forestry/wood logistics standards and open up new opportunities for the forestry and timber industries on the international market. On Thursday 21 May, at a special forum at the center themed "Forestry services: Market bust! - How do we move beyond the crisis?", government representatives, forestry firms, professional associations, banks, manufacturers and forestry employee representatives will be discussing the problems currently facing the forestry services market and exploring potential solutions.

NRW - Making more out of wood. The group presentation by companies and partners from the North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) Forestry and Wood Cluster in Pavilion 35 explores LIGNA's lead themes of energy and resource efficiency. Organized by the NRW Forestry Service, the presentation includes displays of sawmilling products and innovative wood construction solutions, plus the all-new "Virtual Forest" project.

The latter relates to a suite of planning and orientation software solutions for the forestry and timber industries. The software maps entire forests and creates "digital business cards" for each tree. This data is then used as a basis for compiling forest and timber inventories or running wood growth and timber yield simulations. Also new to the NRW presentation in Pavilion 35 is the CO2 Bank project. The CO2 Bank is a database that documents and assesses, on an international basis, the quality and quantity of CO2 emission reductions achieved by projects and services undertaken by the forestry and timber industries.

The Energy from Wood special presentation is in its fourth season at LIGNA 2009. Located in Pavilion 32 and at various places around the adjacent open-air site under the Expo canopy (on the southern part of the exhibition grounds), Energy from Wood is a joint production by a host of companies and institutes, who will be running discussions and demonstrations dedicated to the latest products, services, solutions and developments for wood as a renewable energy source. The themes include firewood processing, wood burner and furnace technology, and so-called energy forests plantations. The presentation also includes speaking events on "Heating with Wood" and "Wood Mobilization" in Pavilion 33.

The use of RFID technology in industrial log grading is one of the lead themes of the special presentations and supporting speaking events in Pavilions 33 and 34. The themes of "Intelligent timber - RFID in roundwood logistics" and "RFID transponder technology - Updates from current research projects" are explored by the Fraunhofer Institute and the German Forestry Council (KWF).

"Wood's where it's at - Climate Protection from the Forest" is a competition in which school students from Lower Saxony between the ages of 6 and 14 were invited to submit original ideas and projects on the role of wood in climate protection. The prize-giving ceremony will be held on 18 May in Pavilion 32.

The "nanoTruck - High-Tech from the Nanocosmos" roadshow run by Germany's Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) will be stationed on the open-air site during the fair. Visitors will be able to see, among other things, how nano particles and structures are used in lightweight construction and how they can help protect the environment by facilitating resource-efficient energy production.

2nd International Wood Energy Forum

This year, the German Bioenergy Association (BBE) is again partnering with the Power Systems Association within the VDMA (German Engineering Federation) and Deutsche Messe to stage the 2nd International BBE/VDMA Business and Export Forum for Wood Energy. The forum, to be held on Tuesday 19 May at the Convention Center, is the premier meeting point for experts and industry professionals from around the globe involved in the "wood energy" value chain. It is where topical market information, international Best Practice case studies, technological developments, and new concepts and strategies - as well as obstacles and barriers - associated with "International Markets and Export Opportunities for Wood Energy" are presented and discussed.

Fun and entertainment is the order of the day on Thursday 21 May on the open-air sites. To start with, there's the 2nd STIHL TIMBERSPORTS SERIES LIGNACup, where Germany's top lumberjack athletes will be going head-to-head in six disciplines. (On each other day of the fair, the athletes will be displaying their axe and saw prowess at multiple demonstration events.) Then, on the southern open-air site, there's the 8th Lower Saxony Crane Driving Championships. This competition has a long tradition: every two years, the top forestry crane drivers from Germany's Lower Saxony State meet at LIGNA to see who's the best.

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