In early 2025 during a conversation at another trade show event, an industry representative asked if Lee Trade Shows Inc., owner-managers of the Keystone Farm Show, Virginia Farm Show and Hard Hat Expo, would consider hosting a forestry show.
It would be targeted to the landowner that has woodlots but “doesn’t want huge equipment coming in and tearing up their land.”
This demographic is usually young and affluent and prefers cleaner, smaller-scale processing versus clear cutting their land. Some may do the processing themselves; some may outsource to forestry and logging professionals. Some are farmers – many farmers have woodlots and maple stands that could provide additional income for the operation through marketable timber, firewood and maple products. Too often, these acres are overlooked and underutilized.
The Lee Trade Shows team agreed that an event like this – the Small Scale Forestry Expo – is just what the market needs. Many of the tentpole forestry events along the Eastern seaboard and into the Midwest have evolved to cater more to those in large-scale forestry, pallet manufacturing and other facets of the industry. Lee Trade Shows can meet that market need and spotlight these small-scale producers.
September dates worked well with existing events in the region. The host location – chosen with input from industry contacts – is a rural venue in southwest Virginia, the Bland County Fairgrounds. Not far from I-77 and I-81, it easily draws from Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee and Kentucky.
Target exhibitors will include any manufacturer or dealer representing/carrying lines of mini excavators (up to 8-ton capacity), skid steers, tracked steer loaders, small- to mid-size agricultural tractors, telehandlers, brush and wood handling attachments, outdoor wood furnaces, side-by-sides and UTVs, chainsaws and/or safety equipment. Firewood processing equipment, portable sawmills, trailers and storage buildings are also solid fits for this show.
When it comes to service providers, insurance companies, finance companies, woodlot consultants, timber buyers and more all make sense.
With decades in the trade show management business and numerous regionally and nationally successful shows in the team’s portfolio, the Lee Trade Shows legacy speaks for itself – and the organization looks forward to continuing to deliver excellence to exhibitors and attendees alike at this brand-new trade show event in 2026.
Find out more by visiting the expo’s Facebook page: @SmallScaleForestryExpo.
A transitional website (sites.google.com/view/ssforestryexpo) is linked above. The trade show’s official website is slated for a mid-October 2025 launch and will be heavily advertised on Facebook.
