On the 1st – 3rd of June the first edition of the “New Area of Professional Forestry”, the Swedish Forestry Expo, took place. Five of the major Swedish suppliers of forestry machines were the organizers through the Swedish Trade Association for Suppliers of Mobile Machines, ML (short for MaskinLeverantörerna): John Deere Forestry, Komatsu Forest, Ponsse, Rottne Industri, and Eco Log. Did they get what they wanted? 
Swedish Forestry Expo 2023
Yes, that is the short answer. They wanted a narrow trade fair only for suppliers of large forest machines and equipment for those. No chainsaws, log trailers, grapple loaders, trucks, or firewood equipment – just pure large-scale machinery and nothing else. And the visitors should be owners and operators of this type of machinery.
This is what it was, close to anyway. There was at least one timber truck at the fair which annoyed another exhibitor who had been told to leave his truck equipment at home. Also, there were comments about some dumper trailers that were exhibited. But all-in-all it looked just like it was supposed to look. So, the organizers should be pleased – and they were according to what I have seen, heard, and read after the fair.
What did the visitors say about it?
Most visitors I spoke to during the day I was there, were very pleased. The fairground was small and manageable. You could easily go over the whole fair 3 – 5 times in a day (even though the layout was a bit complicated). Exhibitors and visitors had time to chat. In the evenings there were parties going on at the fairground where customers were invited to extensive eating and drinking, all paid by the exhibitors.
There were a few negative comments from what I heard. Someone missed the wood splitters, “they must understand that machine owners also are house owners,” was one comment. Maybe not so surprisingly, quite a few missed the forest. But that seemed to be less important if the machines were there.
Will it continue?
The future will tell. But considering the success that it was I can’t see why not. The small errors that occurred can easily be fixed next time. Like the name of the fair (if you ask me). “Swedish Forestry Expo” – Forestry is so much more than machines. So, why not “Swedish Forestry Machine Expo” instead? It gives a better view of what it is.
And: “The new arena for professional forestry”!? Come on! Don’t tell me that forest workers who use chain- and clearing saws, planters, and other forest workers are not professional!!
Anyway, I look forward to seeing how/if it continues and what will happen with the other Swedish forestry fairs. The future is exciting as ever. 
