For instance, there’s the special "Energy from Wood" presentation, which will showcase the many options that are now available for using wood as an environmentally friendly, renewable fuel. Numerous exhibits will cover the latest trends, developments and solutions in the cultivation and harvesting of energy forests, transport and storage logistics, firewood processing and fuel preparation, and wood burner and furnace technology. The displays include saws, wood chippers and log-splitters for transforming logs into burner-ready firewood lengths, chips and pellets. The wood burner technology on show includes everything from log burners to automatic wood chip and pellet burners.

These themes and more will feature heavily in the pavilions organized by the German states of Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia and the German Forestry Council.

"From Tree to Fuel" chipwood production line

At LIGNA 2013, the Lower Saxony Agricultural Association will demonstrate the various technical processes involved in transforming solid wood into a useable fuel. Dubbed "From Tree to Fuel," the Association's chipwood production line on the open-air site under the EXPO canopy will present the most efficient way of converting log sections into high-quality wood chips. The cultivation and harvesting of short rotation coppice plantations will also be a central theme of the display.

The establishment of increasing numbers of biomass and wood energy centers around Germany is driving demand for fuel preparation and drying systems. LIGNA 2013 will feature all the relevant technologies, including the latest sifting solutions for removing foreign material, fines and oversized chips from wood chip feed stock.

It’s easy to dry wood fuel – if you are not in a hurry. All you need is a covered and well-ventilated space. However, when time is of the essence, more effort and technology is required. The options here range from simple storage and drying solutions using concrete blocks to highly sophisticated dryers that are operated in conjunction with large-scale biogas plants. The firing systems on show at this year’s LIGNA range from wood-fired water heaters and firewood boilers through fully automated firing plants for wood pellets and chips, including mobile plants that come in ready-to-transport containerized form. The diverse drying systems on show cover the full spectrum of applications – from private households and wood fuel traders right through to wood energy and biomass centers. The showcase will be rounded off by chainsaw training courses, displays of equipment for private and commercial firewood users and information on feed stock standards and the web-based firewood trade.

Manufacturer-independent advice

Inside Pavilion 32 on the open-air site, the Lower Saxony Agricultural Association (LWK Niedersachsen) and several other institutions, including the Lower Saxony Renewable Raw Materials Network (3N) and the German federal government’s regional bioenergy advisory service, will be offering visitors manufacturer-independent information and advice on all matters relating to wood energy, including energy forest establishment, silviculture and harvesting, the preparation and storage of wood fuel, logistics, quality standards, the technological solutions available for utilizing wood as an energy source, and immission protection.

Conferences and guided tours

The open-air showcase will be complemented by technical forums in Pavilion 33 and in the Congress Center. The Deutscher Landwirtschaftsverlag publishing house is sponsoring special tours that will explore the various energy uses of wood, tried and proven wood bioenergy processes and the latest innovations on show at LIGNA 2011. The tours will be run twice a day, starting at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., by Carsten Brüggemann, wood energy expert at the Lower Saxony Agricultural Association.

Meeting point for guided tours with Carsten Brüggemann: stand L05/9 on the open-air site just south of the Hermes Tower.

A large contingent of companies and institutions will be presenting a diverse range of wood energy products and services in the open-air site. The topic will also be addressed in presentations by the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the „German Forestry Council".

In addition to wood chippers and log splitters, the demonstrations will profile technical solutions for enhancing wood fuel quality - including a woodchip screening machine and a number of technologies for transporting and drying wood. Several institutions will be offering visitors manufacturer-independent information and advice on all matters relating to wood energy, including energy forest establishment, silviculture and harvesting, the preparation and storage of wood fuel, logistics, quality standards, the technological solutions available for utilizing wood as an energy source, and immission protection.

The open-air site showcase will be complemented by technical forums in Pavilion 33.