UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Sawmill Operators, Loggers, Forest Landowners And Others Can Get The Latest Information On Issues Facing The Timber Industry -- And Learn About A Wide Range Of Lumber-related Goods And Services -- By Attending The Timber 2005 Forest Products Equipment And Technology Exposition, June 17-18.

Co-hosted by the Pennsylvania Forest Products Association (PFPA) and Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, the bi-annual trade expo will be held at Penn State's Ag Progress Days site at Rock Springs, nine miles southwest of State College on Pa. Route 45. The event is sponsored by AgChoice Farm Credit and is supported in part with a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture's Hardwoods Development Council.

"Local regulation, surviving in a competitive and global marketplace, and adoption of new technologies are some of the pressing issues facing the timber industry," says Paul Lyskava, PFPA executive director. "Timber 2005 gives attendees a rare opportunity to get business advice, shop for and compare equipment, and hear the latest on issues that affect them every day -- all in one location."

The event will feature commercial exhibits, demonstrations, seminars and tours. The feature seminar, "Teamwork Makes the Dream Work: DiSC-overing Your Personality/Leadership Style," will be offered June 17 at 1 p.m. by Jim Mathis of the Mathis Organization. Mathis will illustrate what it means to develop strong business relationships and will show how to work together to reach goals and improve productivity. "This seminar will be valuable to any business owner, whether you're a logger, sawmill operator or secondary processor," says Lyskava.

Also on June 17, Mike Jacobson, assistant professor in Penn State's School of Forest Resources, will present "Dealing with Local Timber Harvesting Ordinances." Other Friday sessions will include a seminar on visualizing forest management plans, a wood industry forum sponsored by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and a logger forum led by staff from PFPA and the state Hardwoods Development Council.

Highlighting June 18 seminars are "Managing Forests for Deer" by Bryon Shissler of Natural Resource Consultants Inc., and "Safety and the Portable Sawmill" by Lee Stover of Penn State's School of Forest Resources. Saturday seminars also will address Pennsylvania's Forest Inventory, as well as capital financing through the state Agriculture Department's "PA Grows" program. All seminars will be held in the theatre area of the College of Agricultural Sciences Exhibits Building.

A walking tour of the Ag Progress Days woodlot, focusing on forest development and how forests respond to human activities, will be offered by School of Forest Resources faculty and staff five times on June 18, every half-hour beginning at 12:45 p.m.

Attendees also will have an opportunity to see, compare and operate equipment and machinery from several manufacturers and dealers.

"There will be demonstration areas where potential buyers can 'test-drive' several models of knuckle boom loaders and log skidders," says Bob Oberheim of Penn State, manager of Timber 2005. "Various other lines of equipment, such as chain saws, fire wood processors, and portable and commercial saw mills, also will be demonstrated by trained company personnel."

Timber 2005 hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on June 17 and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on June 18. For more information, call 814-863-2873 or visit the Timber 2005 Web site at http://patimbershow.cas.psu.edu.

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EDITORS: Contact Paul Lyskava by phone at (717) 312-1244 or by e-mail at rlo1@psu.edu.

Writer-Editor: Chuck GillOffice 814-863-2713