A sign of strength for the entire forest industry Elmia Wood 2009 has declared its show was a sign of strength in two ways. Firstly, for the forest industry, which glimpsed the start of an economic turnaround. And secondly, for Elmia Wood itself as the meeting place for forestry professionals from around the world. “It’s been the best Elmia Wood so far,” says Erling Lindberg, sales manager for the Eco Log machinery manufacturer. “It feels like the economy is starting to pick up again.” His belief is shared by Benny Sondell, CEO of Ponsse AB in Sweden. He has exhibited at Elmia since 1972, the year the fair first moved out to the forest.  “Never before have we had so many non-Swedish visitors to our stand. This has been a really good fair for Ponsse,” he says. He added that the visitors came from more countries than before, with a large increase from nations like France and Germany. Similarly, the fair impressed its foreign visitors. Dr Ute Seeling is the director of the German research institute KWF. “Despite the recession and the bad weather, the fair was a success,” she says. Walking around the exhibition site looking for trends, Dr Seeling noticed more machinery and other technology for bioenergy, which she believes is the next development stage for the forest industry.