Forestry machinery takes center stage at the FUTA Expo

From July 4th to 6th, the first edition of FUTA Expo will take place, the highly anticipated national event dedicated to field tests of forestry machinery and equipment. The organizers of ITABIA: numerous registrations have been confirmed, with the most prestigious companies in the sector joining us

In the sphere of the circular economy, a fundamental component of the European Green Deal, a central element is given to the rational use of resources, especially if renewable and of local origin. In this perspective, an appropriate use of biomasses - with particular attention to those coming from the active management of the vast Italian forest heritage - will produce significant positive effects in terms of environmental protection, economic and industrial development, and employment opportunities in the internal areas of the Italy. The activation of production, energy or industrial cycles, based on the virtuous exploitation of biomass will make it possible to reduce the use of petroleum derivatives and mineral resources in the production of materials and consumer goods, and storing - above all in unprocessed wood - enormous quantities of atmospheric CO₂ in the biomaterials produced.

The Numbers in Italy. At present, the consumption of woody biomass is around 15-20 million t/year. Of these, only a part comes from cutting in Italy's national forests, despite the fact that forests now cover 36.4% of our territory. Wood harvesting accounts for approximately 18-37% of annual biomass increases, compared to a southern European average of 62-67%. As a direct consequence, a significant share of the wood used for heating and electricity generation comes from imports. Obviously, a sustainable growth of the energy or industrial chains linked to the use of Italian biomass implies a numerical increase of all of the machinery and technological systems that make the harvesting, processing, transport and storage of this resource possible. For this reason, it is extremely important today to reinforce the sector of modern forestry technologies, which has the ability to greatly facilitate the development of an industry with enormous growth potential.

Forestry-related events are still lacking. Currently, in the national landscape of active “practical” events, there is as yet no reference event specifically dedicated to forestry machinery and equipment. The sector is in fact divided among different local events, closely linked to their home territories. For this reason, the experience gained at the Field Demonstration of Forestry Machinery and Equipment (DIMAF) event launched in 1980 by Professor Sanzio Baldini (former President of ITABIA), as well as other similar activities, have shown that there is a need to create a new regular event (one that is held in the same place, during in the same period and for the same length of time each year). The event should be held in a location central to Italian attendees and be authoritative in nature (meaning that it should be promoted and implemented by well-known and reliable partners). With this in mind, the Italian Biomass Association (ITABIA) has, in collaboration with FederUnacoma, created the FUTA Expo – an acronym for Forests, Utilizations, Territory and Environment – which aims to give visibility to the excellent level of technological development that the forestry sector can take advantage of right away. The event, whose spirit is well summed up by the title: "Progress in action: moving biomass to promote development" will therefore be a real field test of the machinery, equipment and systems essential to relaunching the wood bioeconomy and the active management of forests. The FUTA Expo will host constant practical demonstrations designed to facilitate contact between manufacturing companies and professionals in the sector who operate throughout Italy, from North to South, and even abroad.

The FUTA Expo at the Futa Pass. The forestry event will take place near the Futa Pass, between Florence and Bologna, 20 minutes from the Barberino A1 exit (for those coming from the South) and 25 minutes from the Roncobilaccio A1 exit (for those coming from the North). The site chosen has ample parking for the large number of visitors expected and a double ring circuit that forms about a 3 km-long figure eight through coniferous and broadleaf forests, on flat and steep terrain, allowing all exhibitors to demonstrate their equipment in the most representative conditions. The event, being held for the first time this year, will take place from 4 to 6 July at the Azienda Agricola Forestale “La Dogana” in the town of Barberino del Mugello (Florence), making it the perfect time period for field tests. The event is being organized by a truly  excellent team - in addition to ITABIA (organizer of EIMA Energy, among other events) - that includes CNR IBE with the team of Dr. Raffaele Spinelli who has more than twenty years of experience in the field. All this is made even more prestigious thanks to the support provided by FederUnacoma, which has been following the initiative with great enthusiasm since its very first stages, especially for the aspects related to communication. In this regard, ITABIA will be a guest at the FederUnacoma stand during the Agriumbria Fair (28-30 March 2025), taking the opportunity of the occasion to promote the FUTA Expo 2025 event. Further information and details on the initiative are available on the website www.itabia.it/futaexpo/index.html. The “exhibitors” page offers details about the wide range of technologies that will be on display by the many companies that have already completed their application to participate. The ITABIA organizers have said that the FUTA Expo is attracting a lot of interest from industry operators and, consequently, registrations are proceeding at a rapid pace. Exhibitors interested in participating at the event can contact the organizing adminstrative office at the following e-mail address: futaexpo@itabia.it. Registrations will be open until available space is filled.