History of the KWF-Tagung

The Kuratorium für Waldarbeit und Forsttechnik e.V. has organised the KWF-Tagung since 1964. The first event took place in Lüneburg under the heading "Forest establishment- technical possibilities and innovative approaches". Until the 1980s each KWF-Tagung focussed on a special topic presented in practical demonstrations for forest professionals.

The presentation of forest technology in the forest stand proved to be highly successful among the visitors, resulting in a rapid increase in the number of participating manufacturers and dealers. This development also influenced the choice of topics for the KWF-Tagung, which became both more complex and varied.

At first, the KWF-Tagung was held every two years. However, this changed in 1977, when the 7th event took place in Schmallenberg. Since then, the KWF-Tagung takes place every four years. The only exception was in 1988 when the decision was taken to switch to even years, to avoid a clash with the events organised by the Deutscher Forstverein (DFV). The new cycle also means that the KWF-Tagung alternates with the Interforst trade show in München. This arrangement ensures that an international key event for the forest sector takes place in Central Europe every two years.

Traditionally each KWF-Tagung takes place at a new event location and is hosted by a different state forestry office or enterprise. This ensures that the event meets the diverse conditions and requirements within the European forestry sector. This however requires a huge organisational effort.

As visitor and exhibitor numbers continue to rise, the KWF-Tagung has grown into the most important forest technology event in Central Europe and one of the largest forest technology trade fairs in the world.

The youngest development, the so-called KWF-Theme Days. This "small KWF-Tagung" fills the four-year gap between the large KWF-Tagung events. The theme days always focus on a current issue and are therefore a useful addition to the KWF professional event portfolio. The first Theme Days were a great success and took in September 2010 under the heading "Mechanised tree harvesting operations and soil conservation" in Rheinland-Pfalz.