UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences is partnering with the Pennsylvania Forest Products Association to host the association's bi-annual trade exposition, June 1-2.

The Timber 2007 Forest Products Equipment and Technology Exposition will be held at the Ag Progress Days site at Rock Springs, on Pa. Route 45, nine miles southwest of State College. The event is supported in part with a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture's Hardwoods Development Council.

The timber show first was held at the Ag Progress Days site in 2005. "The site's location, layout and amenities -- combined with Penn State's expertise in managing a major trade show -- made for a rewarding and valuable experience for our exhibitors and attendees," says Paul Lyskava, PFPA executive director. "With the 2005 show under our belt, we expect the 2007 event to be bigger and better for participants."

The leading hardwood-producing state in the nation, Pennsylvania is home to more than 2,700 forest product companies and 500,000 forest landowners. The forest products industry has $16 billion in annual sales and generates about $27 billion a year for the state's economy.

Organizers expect more than 100 commercial exhibitors at the event, which is aimed at loggers, sawmill operators, value-added processors and forest landowners in Pennsylvania and surrounding states.

The Ag Progress Days site -- at Penn State's Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center -- is centrally located for most of the state's forest products industry. The site has both indoor and expansive outdoor space, allowing for exhibitor demonstrations. Parking and admission will be free for attendees.

The event will feature new and emerging technology, machinery demonstrations, seminars and opportunities to visit with government and private-sector business-assistance specialists.

Faculty and extension specialists from Penn State's School of Forest Resources also will offer workshops. "Penn State has one of the top forestry and wood-products programs in the country, and hosting this expo dovetails with our educational and outreach mission," says Bob Oberheim, manager of Penn State's Ag Progress Days, who will oversee Timber 2007.

For information on Timber 2007, including details on exhibiting and sponsorship opportunities, call 814-863-2873 or visit the Web 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 plyskava@paforestproducts.org; contact Bob Oberheim by phone at 814-692-5262 or by e-mail at rlo1@psu.edu.

Editor: Chuck Gill 814-863-2713 cdg5@psu.edu