Contact: Sammy McDavid
STARKVILLE, Miss.--Machines and technology that keep the South's forest industry booming will be on display June 2 and 3 at the 2006 Mid-South Forestry Equipment Show.
The biannual demonstration of new timber harvest and production equipment takes place seven miles south of Starkville on state Highway 25. The site adjoins an entrance road to Mississippi State's John W. Starr Memorial Forest.
Now in its 22nd year, the public event is co-sponsored by the university's College of Forest Resources and Montgomery, Ala.-based Hatton-Brown Publishers Inc., in cooperation with the Mississippi Forestry and Mississippi Loggers associations.
"The Mid-South Forestry Equipment Show is the nation's oldest, continuous in-woods equipment demonstration and, with 18 live exhibitors this year, the biggest," said Charles Burkhardt, show director and school forest supervisor. "We also are extremely proud that our partnership with Hatton-Brown has elevated the show to a regional event."
The latest models of bulldozers, fire plows, log loaders, skidders, and other heavy equipment will be operating in a variety of timber types and stand conditions. Manufacturers and dealers will be on hand as timber industry professionals test their skills in various competitive events, including the popular Prentice Loader Championship.
The loader contest originated in 1972 and has been conducted annually at various venues throughout the eastern United States. In a timed challenge rewarded with prizes and/or cash, contestants must successfully remove vertical log blocks from a "checkerboard" and then return them to their original squares.
Other 2006 show features helicopter rides for children and a host of educational opportunities for loggers, landowners and foresters. Games and activities designed specifically for children also are scheduled.
For overnight visitors, an MSU-operated recreational vehicle park adjoins the show area.
For more details, contact Burkhardt at (662) 325-2191 or cburkhardt@cfr.msstate.edu.