The fair was scheduled to occur in 2021 but was stopped by Covid-19. The event will not be as large as before, for the simple reason that the pandemic is still exerting its grip on much of the world. Elmia Wood 2022 will be mainly a European affair.
At the same time, the forest is more significant now than it has been for a long time – both because growing trees bind carbon and replace fossil materials, and because forestry practices in some parts of the world have been criticised from an environmental and climate perspective, most recently at the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow.
“The challenge is to unite both perspectives. Sweden has extensive experience of doing this plus a lot of innovative strength,” Agne Bengtsson explains.
Elmia Wood has long been the display window to the world for efficient Nordic forestry technology. Even in the current global situation, Sweden offers sought-after expertise and innovation. More than half the country’s forests are privately owned and extensive tracts of land are managed with a high growth rate that creates many values while maintaining great respect for nature.
“One important aspect is all the other values that the forest contributes – it involves so much more than just trees that grow. This is something we want to emphasise,” Agne Bengtsson says.
Like previous editions, the 2022 fair will be held in the forest at Bratteborgs gård south of Jönköping. Priority will be given to filling the small-scale trail but the fair will continue to focus on forestry as a whole.
As usual, Elmia Wood will be offering seminars and – most important of all – a longed-for meeting place for all the forest industry stakeholders, including the increasingly important privately owned forestry sector. The programme details have not yet been decided but what is definite is that Elmia Wood 2022 will focus on tomorrow’s forestry in a sustainable world.