The Timber and Biomass Expo Southeast was previously advertised as being held in Toombs County near Vidalia, Ga., but a communications breakdown among several parties nullified that arrangement. Show sponsor Hatton-Brown Publishers subsequently approached The Langdale Co. about hosting the event and its management stepped up with the new site. Headquartered in Valdosta, Langdale, a diversified timberland and forest products company with multiple other business interests, hosted the show one other time, in 1994.

Hatton-Brown publishes several magazines, among them Southern Loggin’ Times, Timber Harvesting and Wood Bioenergy. Knight and others at the company feel that as the economy improves, as the forest products industry gets traction, and as new wood-to-energy projects move ahead, many loggers are looking to replace aging equipment. “Blend in the fact that it’s been eight years since a large-scale logging equipment demo was held in south Georgia, and you’ve got a good environment for a beneficial event of this type.”

Hatton-Brown anticipates that upwards of 3,000 will attend Timber and Biomass Expo Southeast, coming primarily from Georgia, Florida, Alabama and South Carolina.