A unique meeting for a unique industry. The EKO-LAS 2018 fair is behind us!

In Mostki near Świebodzin, during the largest exhibition in our country presenting the offer of forestry machinery, equipment and services, 6429 owners of Forest Service Plants and their employees, representatives of the State Forests, owners of private forests, employees of the wood industry, municipal, energy and construction companies met roads and bridges, as well as forest school students. - Behind us a successful undertaking, which once again not only integrated the forest environment, but also helped set new trends - emphasizes Łukasz Rachubiński, project director.

Succesful edition 2018

- We can consider this year's edition successful. Compared to the Fair in 2016, we recorded an increase in the share of professional visitors and a larger exhibition space - emphasizes Łukasz Rachubiński. - We also recorded an increase compared to the 2014 edition, which, like this one, took place in Mostki - he adds. During this year's edition, the offer was presented at 120 exhibition stands. Visitors had at their disposal 60,000 m2 of space on which over 150 brands were presented, 4 products awarded the Gold Medal of the Poznań International Fair, as well as many new products. - The results of the EKO-LAS Trade Fair confirm that forestry is an important part of the Polish economy, and how trade fairs are an important marketing tool - continues Łukasz Rachubiński. Participation in the Fair will also be positively assessed by exhibitors who have conducted many successful business talks. Some of them ended in sales, others made valuable contacts. - Today EKO-LAS is not only the most important event in the forestry industry in Poland and one of the leading in Europe, but also a business venture characterized by very high maturity - he continues.

Dynamic developement of the forest industry

In recent years, there has been an increase in the competitiveness of Polish enterprises in forestry also internationally. However, maintaining this trend requires continuous work for the quality of products offered, continuous improvement of qualifications and the search for innovative solutions. This is favored by the EKO-LAS Trade Fair, whose overarching goal is to create an atmosphere that enables establishing lasting business contacts. The fair is also a platform for the dimensions of thoughts and experiences and a reliable source of knowledge about industry trends. - This year's result is the result of hard work on the part of both the organizational team and exhibitors, trade media, unions and associations. A rich exhibition, presentation of current trends, technologies and product news, numerous presentations and lectures have made the EKO-LAS Fair interesting for representatives of the entire forest sector - emphasizes Łukasz Rachubiński. As in previous years, harvester and forwarder shows as well as tree felling and skidding on demonstration surfaces were held during the Fair. Accompanying events, such as the "Forest Roads - Potential for the Development of Forest Social Functions" conference, the 3rd Polish Forwarder Operators Championships and the 1st Polish Woodcutters Championships of Forestry Schools also enjoyed great interest.

Known brands

For everyone, the time spent at the EKO-LAS Fair was extremely fast. The market days were filled with hard work, business talks, advice and presentation of new products. It was very intensive three days for both exhibitors and visitors. Companies such as FOREX POLSKA (John Deere), KOPA KAMIŃSKI (Rottne), KOMPANIA LEŚNA (Metsis, Irum), ARCON POLSKA (Komatsu), PROFESSIONAL FOREST MACHINES (Ponsse), BL SYSTEM (Konrad), FORTECH SERVICE ( Gremo, EcoLog), KOPPOM MASKIN, GRUBE, ANDERWALD, SERAFIN (Avant, Japa), FISKARS, STHIL, RUNFOREST, TWOFOREST, AGCO POLSKA (Valtra), ZETOR POLSKA, XLEASING, FAO FAR, SILAVAPOL (Amkodor, Welka) BERGERAT MONNOYEUR, EWPA, UTECH, MHS, BÓBR (Logset) and many others. During this year's edition of the EKO-LAS Fair, you could see 4 products that received the Gold Medals of the Poznań International Fair. They were distinguished by innovation, uniqueness, made of excellent quality materials. These include the STIHL petrol chainsaw, sScale wood measuring and processing device, RBR shredder and WT three-tooth shaft.

Road infrastructure

For years, EKO-LAS has already accustomed visitors to the fact that, apart from the source of knowledge about products, they are also a great opportunity to learn new ideas for safer and more efficient work in the forest. And this year, interesting speeches and seminars touched on the most current topics. The program of events was diversified by the conference "Forest roads - the potential for the development of social functions of the forest", which took place on the first day of the Fair. The event was organized by the Association of Timber Forestry Engineers and Technicians and State Forests. Wojciech Grochala, Director of the Regional Directorate of State Forests in Zielona Góra, was the first to speak. Andrzej Czerniak from the Department of Forest Engineering of the Faculty of Forestry at the University of Life Sciences in Poznań talked about forest road engineering and the latest technologies. Grzegorz Trzciński from the Faculty of Forestry of the Warsaw University of Life Sciences (SGGW) raised the subject of forest paths in the field of "Forest access - paths, bicycle paths, road and tourist services", commented Radosław Sroga from the Office of Forest Management and Forest Surveying in Brzeg. The conference will end with a discussion panel.

Best of the best 

Many positive emotions aroused the 3rd Polish Championships of Forwarder Operators and the 1st Polish Team Championships of Woodcutters of Forest Schools. Real crowds have watched the struggles of qualified forwarder operators. About 20 participants took part in the fight and tried their hand at machines from leading brands such as John Deere and Rottne. The event's partners were the companies Forex Polska and Kopa Kamiński, while the organizers of the championships were the Poznań International Fair, the Department of Forest Technology of the University of Life Sciences in Poznań. This year's champion was Kamil Kaczyński. Chips also flew during the second event, which diversified the program of events. In the 1st Polish Team Championships of Woodcutters of Forest Schools. The event was co-organized by Zakład Usług Leśnych ZULAS in Niedźwiedzia, Świebodzin Forest District and Poznań International Fair. The competition was attended by 5 teams of woodcutters, who showed their skills in several competitions on time (including: test of theoretical knowledge, cutting the roller vertically, felling trees or limbing). The first place was taken by a team from the University of Life Sciences in Poznań. Second place in the Forest Technical School in Rogozinec, third place in the Forest Technical School in Starościn, 4th place in the ZSZ in Rogozinec. STIHL and FISKARS were partners of the event.

Succesful cooperation

Once again, the State Forests were the strategic partner of the EKO-LAS Fair, which helped prepare the exhibition area for the display of heavy equipment and roads, enabling exhibitors to safely access during assembly and disassembly. Preparations for the Fair were also actively supported by the Świebodzin Forest Inspectorate and ZULAS Forest Services Plant in Niedźwiedzia, which was the technical partner of the event. The honorary patron of the EKO-LAS Fair were the Ministry of the Environment and the Marshal of the Lubuskie Voivodeship, the industry patron of the Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Polish Forestry Society, ZD Rogów, University of Life Sciences in Poznań, Association of Forest Entrepreneurs named after Mieczysław Wierzbicki.