WELCOME TO THE LOGGERS’ EXPO 2023

from Forest Products_Expo 2023

FIFTEEN LOGGING FIRMS FROM THREE STATES ACHIEVE MASTER LOGGER® CERTIFICATION

By Katie Smith

Spring is in the air and it’s an odd year which means it’s Bangor, Maine’s turn to host the Loggers’ Expo. The expo is held in Maine every other year, alternating with Essex Junction, Vermont.

On the weekend of May 19-20, the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor will be hosting this year’s event. Doors will open at 9 a.m. and the admissions fee is $10 at the door — children under 16 get in free. There is also free parking provided by Hollywood Slots Casino, which is located across the street from the Cross Center.

Show Manager Joe Phaneuf is extremely excited about the show’s hosts this year. “The Loggers’ Expo has been coming to Bangor, Maine for almost 40 years — and we’ve always felt welcome by the city. The Cross Insurance Center is the perfect venue for our show, with pristine inside exhibit space and spacious outside space. The venue is very well managed, and the city of Bangor should be extremely proud of this facility.”

The Expo has typically been a place where buyers and sellers of the forest industry equipment come together to do business and mix and mingle with their peers, which is important as their jobs involve a lot of solo time. However, you don’t have to be a logger to come and enjoy all the live demonstrations and displays which will be inside and outside.

So, if you are looking to get out of the house and learn more about wood or how loggers’ work, you must stop in to explore all the exhibits have to offer. You will be able to meet with forest industry leaders and check out the tools and supplies for homeowners.

The Loggers’ Expo typically features about 200 exhibiting companies and draws in about 5,000 to 7,000 attendees. This year, Phaneuf says the Expo will be closer to “normal” than it has been the last few years, and everyone is super thankful for that as it will allow for more live events.

“We’ll have lots of big in-woods equipment on display from the major manufacturers, there’ll be firewood processing and portable sawmill demonstrations, grinders, chippers and shaving machines on display, lots and lots of trucks and trailers, and plenty of chainsaws and protective gear. In other words, just about anything that might be used in working with wood from the stump to finished product will be on display at this show,” says Phaneuf.

Different people will get excited about different exhibitors, of course, but some of the highlights will include: United Construction and Forestry, Milton-CAT, Anderson Equipment, Frank Martin Sons, Whited Peterbilt of ME, O’Connor Motors, Manac.

“There will be many more there and each has their own story,” says Phaneuf.

Another highlight for the Expo is having the Maine Forest and Logging Museum join in the fun this year, along with several Maine sawmills who “always do a great job of explaining the dynamics of the forest products industry to interested attendees,” says Phaneuf.

The Loggers’ Expo is mainly focused on the forest products and tree care industries but the show will have something for anyone. If you are a homeowner who processes your own firewood, have a wood boiler heating your home, or you simply want to come and learn more about the wood industry, make sure to mark this event on your calendar and bring the entire family. You will all leave with more knowledge about what sort of equipment is used out in the woods, and as Phaneuf says, “It’s certainly a far cry from axes and horses.”

WHEN & WHERE

Friday, May 19 and Saturday, May 20. Doors open at 9 a.m. at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor.

FEE & PARKING

$10 per person, kids under 16 are free. Free parking across the street at the Hollywood Slots Casino.

What To Expect

With 200 exhibiting companies, it’s a great place for the public to come and learn about the industry. Enjoy lots of displays of big woods equipment and live demonstrations. And learn about the Maine Forest and Logging Museum.