Vital Forests, Smart Forestry: Shaping the Climate-Resilient Wood Economy of Tomorrow

Hanover, Germany. The supply of wood as a raw material is of central importance to the global woodworking and wood processing industry, which will gather at LIGNA 2025 in Hanover from May 26 to 30. Reflecting this, the forestry section of the world’s leading trade fair will showcase all aspects of optimized timber harvesting methods. Modern large-scale forestry equipment, mobile sawmills, smart logistics, and safe transport – as technical pioneers for the material and energy use of wood – will be in focus, alongside the critical efforts to preserve forests as a sustainable source of raw materials for future generations and to prepare them for future challenges. As a platform for the digitalization of process chains in the forestry and timber industry, LIGNA 2025 also opens up access to new growth markets.

The focus is on people

“The various types of forest damage in recent years have left large areas that now need to be replanted,” says Stephanie Wagner, Head of LIGNA at Deutsche Messe. “At LIGNA, exhibitors will showcase how to develop forest stands that are better adapted to local conditions and the changing climate, and how to secure the future supply of renewable, climate-friendly wood for the industry – with sustainably operating forest managers increasingly using wood as a resource-efficient raw material. People are at the heart of all these efforts. This includes ensuring optimal and, above all, safe working conditions, as well as honoring the special relationship people have shared with forests for centuries,” Wagner adds.

Pavilions 33 and 35: The central point of contact at LIGNA

Traditionally, pavilions 33 and 35 in the outdoor area under the Expo roof serve as the central meeting point at LIGNA 2025. This is where all the key players who bring the forestry exhibition area to life are located. In Pavilion 33, exhibitors include the Forestry Training Center of the Lower Saxony State Forests (NFBz), the Association of Forestry Contractors AfL Niedersachsen e. V., the German Forest Contractors Association (DFUV), the Social Insurance for Agriculture, Forestry and Horticulture (SVLFG), the 3N Competence Center for Renewable Resources and Bioeconomy (3N e.V.), the German Forestry Council, the Lower Saxony Forest Owners Association, PEFC – the world’s largest independent certification system for sustainable forestry – and the Lower Saxony State Forests (NLF). As the host in Pavilion 35, Wald und Holz NRW presents a wide range of topics, featuring participants such as the startup TechTinyHouse from Detmold, Aachen University of Applied Sciences and the Aachen Center for Wood Construction Research, Ostwestfalen-Lippe University of Applied Sciences (TH OWL), and the University of Siegen.

Use of technology is necessary and sensible

This year, Pavilion 33, the “Forestry Pavilion”, is dedicated to the theme “People – Technology – Raw Materials”. “We want to make it clear that people’s needs, which can be very well aligned with nature, come first,” says Dr. Maurice Strunk, Federal Managing Director of the German Forest Contractors Association (DFUV) and Managing Director of AfL Niedersachsen e. V. “Our forests will inevitably change in the face of climate change. Through active forest management, we can positively support these processes and create real added value for society. At the same time, it is crucial to make forest work safer, as dozens of people still lose their lives every year. The use of technology is both necessary and sensible – helping to minimize risks on one hand and enabling us to meet the enormous challenge of reforesting large areas on the other,” Strunk explains. The forestry scientist and his colleagues are committed to ensuring that future generations can rely on a sustainably produced, ecologically valuable, and climate-friendly raw material. “We will be setting the course for this in the coming years. The title ‘People – Technology – Raw Materials’ of the Forestry Pavilion reflects all of these challenges,” Strunk concludes.

Three strong partners for the future of forestry

NFBz, AfL, and SVLFG are jointly organizing the Forestry Pavilion. The NFBz (Forestry Training Center of the Lower Saxony State Forests) is responsible for the inter-company training of young people in the forestry profession as well as for advanced training to become master foresters. It also develops new working methods for sustainable forest management. AfL Niedersachsen represents forestry service companies, a professional group that not only carries out around 80 percent of timber harvesting across Germany but also handles the majority of planting and maintenance work in forests on behalf of forest owners. “As a practical partner in Pavilion 33, AfL Niedersachsen aims to engage in dialogue with political representatives at LIGNA 2025 to provide information about the industry’s demands and the necessary steps to ensure forests are well equipped for the future,” says Strunk. Finally, SVLFG acts as the employers’ liability insurance association for private service companies and also provides social insurance for private forest owners, working to make forest workplaces safer – particularly through its extensive prevention efforts.

Remote-controlled wedges and cooling clothing protect forestry workers

In Pavilion 33, visitors to LIGNA 2025 will learn all about the latest developments in the safe felling of damaged trees, especially deciduous trees such as beech. New working methods and techniques for greater protection of forestry workers will be presented, such as remote-controlled wedges, which are used to bring prepared trees to the ground from a distance and thus very safely using chainsaws and felling cuts. “This is because the greatest risk in forestry work comes from branches breaking off while the tree is falling,” explains Strunk. As a lot of work will be required in open areas in the forest in the coming years to plant young trees, keep them free of grass and brambles and maintain young forest stands, the focus will also be on sun protection. “Skin cancer is one of the most common occupational diseases in forestry and is promoted by planting and maintenance measures in open areas, which will now occur even more frequently after the calamities,” explains Strunk and adds: ”The SVLFG will raise awareness of the issue and offer solutions to increase skin protection. Cooling clothing is also an option to make working in open spaces in the forest more bearable. So far, such innovative clothing is hardly widespread in forestry.”

Current methods for stand establishment

The NFBz Münchehof provides information through illustrative demonstrations and films about current methods for stand establishment, as well as young growth and cultivation care using battery technology. In forestry, stand establishment refers to the planting of new tree stands on bare forest land and open areas. Since young trees are particularly vulnerable to high competition from grasses, brambles, and ferns in their early years, clearing these competing plants is essential. Later, it becomes necessary to regulate the composition of tree mixtures by selectively removing individual specimens. This ensures that no single tree species dominates, that particularly vigorous plants maintain good growing conditions, and that a healthy mixture of different tree species develops.

This important work is increasingly being carried out with battery-powered tools instead of petrol-driven machines, and entirely new methods have also been developed. For example, the laborious task of planting with spades is now partly eased through the use of battery-powered drills. However, setting up the necessary charging infrastructure for lithium-ion batteries, along with their storage and transportation, poses new challenges. Batteries present a risk of lithium fires, which are difficult to extinguish. Therefore, occupational health and safety must always be a key consideration when introducing new work processes involving battery technology.

Solutions for the circular use of wood as a raw material

Just a few meters away, in Pavilion 35, the Centre for Forestry and the Wood Industry of Wald und Holz NRW, together with the partners of the NRW joint pavilion, will present current research results on the use of new hardwoods and softwoods, innovative timber construction products and systems, as well as solutions for the circular use of wood as a raw material. This will be showcased in the context of a sustainable, forest-based bioeconomy under the guiding theme: “New Raw Material Basis Wood – Transformation of the Forestry and Wood Cluster in NRW.”

“We are looking forward to exchanging ideas with industry players on the changing raw material basis of wood and new wood applications at LIGNA 2025,” says Dr. Stefanie Wieland of Wald und Holz NRW, Centre for Forestry and the Timber Industry. She also highlights other key topics such as the digitalization of forestry and timber industry process chains, the dry storage of spruce calamity wood, and the use of modern wood heating in combination with other renewable energy sources.

New timber construction systems and wood applications

Pavilion 35 will also showcase new timber construction systems and wood applications, such as the use of birch supporting structures for mobile living concepts, new hardwood and hybrid supporting structures for multi-storey timber construction, and the use of wood in alternative tool technologies. These innovations will be presented through corresponding mock-ups and machine concepts.

Another focus will be on material-saving and resource-efficient timber construction products. The practical demonstration “From Tree to Wood Product” under the EXPO roof in front of the NRW pavilion will illustrate the technological properties and potential uses of “new deciduous and coniferous tree species in a changing climate”, including birch, red oak, sweet chestnut, and various types of fir.

Special show “Follow the Timber” in Pavilion 35

Current and future technologies for tracking and tracing raw timber along the supply chain – “from the standing tree to the factory entrance” – will be presented by the Kuratorium für Waldarbeit und Forsttechnik (KWF) and its project partners in Pavilion 35.

“Traceability means recording all the processes that a raw material undergoes during its provision,” explains project manager Alexander Kaulen from the KWF. He adds: “In forestry, traceability serves to verify the legal origin of raw wood from sustainable and climate-positive forestry practices, while also optimizing processes from a business management perspective. Technically, this involves tracing the path of the raw wood from the standing tree to the factory entrance.”

With the special show “Follow the Timber”, the KWF will showcase historical, current, and innovative forestry technologies for tracking the flow of raw timber. The digital infrastructure needed for future implementation will be presented through three demonstrators: Timber Supply, Digital Marketplace, and Data Trustee. Visitors can also look forward to live demonstrations, guided tours, lectures, a video arena, and various exhibits.

Current topics discussed at the NRW stage

The NRW Stage in Pavilion 35 will serve as an ideal platform for the exchange and discussion of current topics among players across the forestry and wood value chain. Visitors can experience discussions with decision-makers from the EU Parliament and industry representatives on the forestry and wood sector’s contribution to a sustainable economic and climate policy in Europe.

Also featured are presentations on circular strategies for the wood industry and mechanical engineering, as well as the EFI Bioregions Forum highlighting current start-up initiatives from across European regions. Other highlights of the NRW Stage include the Forest Owners’ Day and the presentation of recommendations and proposed measures for the transformation of the forestry and timber industry in NRW.

Festive award ceremony and thrilling forwarder championships

On LIGNA-Wednesday, the Qualifizierungsfonds-Forstwirtschaft e. V. will present the “Hans-Jürgen-Narjes Prize” during a festive forestry evening in Pavilion 33. The award will be given to a person, announced shortly before LIGNA, who has made outstanding contributions to training and further education in private forestry service companies. Following the award ceremony, Deutsche Messe AG, together with the Arbeitsgemeinschaft forstwirtschaftlicher Lohnunternehmer (AfL) Niedersachsen e. V. and the Deutscher Forstunternehmer-Verband (DFUV), cordially invites attendees to a networking event offering an excellent opportunity for socializing and professional exchange.

“Another highlight for AfL Niedersachsen is the Forwarder Championship, a professional competition taking place on Ascension Day on the open-air grounds east of Pavilion 33,” announces Maurice Strunk. AfL Niedersachsen has been organizing forwarder championships at LIGNA for 30 years. On competition day, more than a dozen drivers from across Germany will compete against one another.

“They must master two disciplines using large forestry machines, known as forwarders,” explains Strunk. “In addition to speed, a high degree of precision is essential. Only the best performers in each discipline will advance to the next round, culminating in the final to determine the overall winner.” The competition starts early in the morning and will conclude with the award ceremony at approximately 4:00 p.m.

About LIGNA

The world’s leading trade fair for the woodworking and wood processing industry is jointly organized by Deutsche Messe and VDMA Woodworking Machinery in Hannover, and is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2025. It showcases the entire range of products and services for the primary and secondary industries – tools, machines and systems for custom and mass production, surface technology, wood-based panel production, sawmill technology, energy from wood, machine components and automation technology, as well as machines and systems for forestry. Further information on LIGNA is available at www.ligna.de