Thousands of visitors are gathering in Bertrix for the two-day Demo Forest event, held under tight fire safety measures because of dry conditions and the risk of wildfire.
The forestry sector has been meeting there since Tuesday morning for the event, which is an extension of the Libramont Agricultural Fair in Luxembourg Province.
Organisers, local authorities and fire services have stepped up precautions to make sure the event can go ahead. Fire prevention measures have been reinforced, parts of the site have been adapted and some areas were watered in recent hours. Smoking is strictly banned across the site.
Several tens of thousands of visitors are expected over the two days along a 4.5-km route laid out in the public forest of Auby-sur-Semois. Around 170 exhibitors are taking part, with demonstrations of forestry machinery and horse logging in real working conditions.
Over its 23 editions, Demo Forest has grown into a key showcase for the whole forest and timber sector. Held every two years, it highlights the many uses of wood, particularly in construction, and promotes job opportunities across the industry.
“At the inauguration of Demo Forest, with our partners we wanted the event to respond better to the expectations of professionals and to the challenges facing forests today, and we know there are many,” said Walloon Agriculture and Rural Affairs Minister Anne-Catherine Dalcq, who is also responsible for forests.
She said the aim was to build a forest sector that is “sustainable, innovative, attractive, economic and future-oriented.”
Efforts have also been made to make Demo Forest itself more sustainable. The wood used in demonstrations is harvested responsibly on site with the support of agents from the Department of Nature and Forests, while site arrangements were designed to limit damage to the soil.
“It is the event that adapts to the forest, not the other way round,” the minister said.
Libramont Coopéralia, the company behind the Libramont Fair, is tied to the municipality of Bertrix by an agreement running until 2032 to stage Demo Forest in the local woodland.
Bertrix is a strongly forested municipality, with woods covering 6,800 hectares, half of its total area.
