With
live machinery demonstrations, as many as 85 commercial vendors and numerous
business networking opportunities, the 2015 Forest Products Equipment andTechnology Exposition promises to provide professionals with a valuable trade
show experience. But
organizers of the event, known as Timber 2015, also have planned activities
designed to entertain and educate the loggers, sawmill operators, value-added
processors, forest landowners and members of the public who attend.
Hosted
by Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences and the Pennsylvania Forest
Products Association, the biennial event will take place June 5-6 at Penn
State's Ag Progress Days site, on state Route 45 nine miles southwest of State
College.
A
new attraction at this year's expo will be the Game of Logging national finals,
a competition based on a world-recognized chain saw skills curriculum. The
contest, with landowner and professional logger divisions, combines
Scandinavian logging techniques with the latest systems for working safely
around trees. Qualifiers from state-level competitions will compete on June 6
in categories such as Bore Station, Spring Pole, Big Stump, Precision Stump,
Speed Cut and Tree Felling.
According
to the Game of Logging website, "The 'game' refers not only to the
friendly competitive aspect of the training, but also to the necessity of
having a winning plan or strategy for felling trees and working safely. The
program breaks apart saw work into steps that are practiced throughout the
course. A fun scoring system helps focus participants' attention on the most
important details and allows them to measure their progress."
Timber
2015 also will feature demonstrations by the Penn State Woodsmen's Team, which
travels to compete in various regional and national collegiate events. Team
members will demonstrate skills such as axe-throwing, underhand chopping and
crosscutting on both days of the expo.
"These
activities, which showcase the competitive talents of the participants, are fun
to watch and emphasize the professional skills and safety expertise needed to
be successful in the industry," said Timber 2015 manager Bob Oberheim, of
Penn State.
In
addition, the forest-product industry's charitable efforts will be highlighted
by the "Log a Load for Kids" Truck Parade. The procession of vehicles
around the show grounds will culminate with a check presentation to the
Children's Miracle Network.
Nationally,
the annual "Log a Load for Kids" campaign has raised about $20
million to help sick and injured children, noted said Paul Lyskava, executive
director of the Pennsylvania Forest Products Association.
"Individuals
and businesses in the Pennsylvania logging and forestry industries each year
donate the value of a load of logs to support local Children's Miracle Network
hospitals," he said. "This truck parade is a visual representation of
our industry's commitment to the children of Pennsylvania and to the
communities where we live and work."
The
leading hardwood-producing state in the nation, Pennsylvania is home to more
than 2,100 forest-product companies and 500,000 forest landowners. The
forest-products industry has $11.5 billion in annual sales and generates about
$19 billion a year for the state's economy.
Other activities on the schedule for
Timber 2015 include the following:
--Woodlot
management tours on both days will examine a 15-acre timber harvest that was
performed in 2012 using the shelterwood regeneration method. Visitors will
learn about harvesting and regeneration challenges, including shade tolerance,
seed trees, exotic insects, invasive plants, competing vegetation and
deer-browsing impacts.
--On-site
and in-the-woods demonstrations will feature a range of forest-product
technologies and machinery, including feller bunchers with processing heads,
forwarders, log skidders, horizontal grinders and chippers. A ride-and-drive
area will allow attendees to test-drive log skidders and forklifts.
--A
Pennsylvania Sustainable Forestry Initiative training course to be held on both
days of the show will enable loggers to meet their annual PA SFI continuing
education requirements. The course is free to attend, but there will be a $20
administrative fee for those who wish to register for continuing education
credit. The educational sponsor for the event is Metzler Forest Products LLC.
--The
Pasto Agricultural Museum will present new displays and hands-on exhibits
focusing on timber and logging history. Visitors can hear stories of the
history of timber, logging and forestry in the commonwealth in presentations at
10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. each day.
Primary
sponsors for Timber 2015 include Forest Products Credit by AgChoice FC, Foster
F. Wineland Inc., Pendu Manufacturing Inc. and Taylor Machine Works Inc.
No comments:
Post a Comment