INTERFORST 2026: How Digitalization and New Technology Shape the Forest of the Future
Climate change, skilled labor shortage, and increasing demands for sustainable forest management are changing forestry. Sensors, drones, artificial intelligence, and increasingly automated machines are opening up new possibilities. From October 15 to 18, 2026, INTERFORST in Munich will bring these developments together. The international leading trade fair for forestry and forest technology will display solutions along the entire value chain: from afforestation and forest maintenance to timber harvesting and transportation to wood energy and digital forest management.
In 2026, INTERFORST will take place in October for the first time. With the new autumn date, Messe München is responding to requests from the industry and aims to facilitate participation, especially for international professionals. Four main topics are at the core of the event: Healthy Future Forests, Focus on People, New Paths in Forestry Technology, and Digitization of Forestry & Wood.
AI and Sensors Reach the Forest
One of the major focal points is digitization. Under the concept of Forest 4.0, more and more processes are becoming data-driven and interconnected. Digital forest management systems, drones, LiDAR data, sensors, and AI can help to more accurately map forest areas and detect changes earlier. Given the issues of drought, pest infestation, and other climate impacts, monitoring is becoming increasingly important. Digital systems, for example, aim to make calamities visible earlier or to better integrate information for forest inventory, timber harvesting, and logistics. INTERFORST aims to specifically showcase which applications are already practical. On October 16, the congress program will also focus on digitization under the motto "Forestry Technology in Motion". Planned contributions include topics on digital forest management systems, forest inventory, cloud software, AI, and quality assurance in roundwood sorting and measurement.
Forestry Machines are Becoming Smarter
Technical progress remains a core aspect of the fair. Climate adaptation, shortage of skilled workers, and stricter sustainability requirements increase the pressure to use machines more efficiently and with less impact on the soil. Mechanization and automation are therefore becoming increasingly important. Visitors can see forestry technology not only at exhibition stands. In the outdoor demonstration areas, machines, equipment, and work processes are demonstrated under practical conditions. The program ranges from timber harvesting and processing to various technical workflows. Unusual developments are also shown. As part of a special show, the effects of small forestry crawlers on forest soil are examined, and exoskeletons for forestry work are presented. The KWF also contributes with a felling-forwarding vehicle not yet available on the market with a 20 meter crane range, developed in the research project 'Outreach'.
New B2B Area for Components and Systems
In 2026, SYSTEMS & COMPONENTS Forestry by DLG will premiere in Hall B6. Together with the German Agricultural Society, INTERFORST creates for the first time a dedicated area for technical components and systems of modern forestry machines. Key focuses include engines, drive technology, hydraulics, vehicle electrics and electronics, spare and wear parts, as well as vehicle cabs. The area is aimed particularly at machine manufacturers, developers, designers, buyers, and suppliers. This not only brings the finished forestry machine into focus, but the components behind it gain importance when machines need to work more efficiently, digitally, and increasingly automated.
The Future Forest Needs More Than Just Technology
In addition to machines and digitization, INTERFORST addresses the question of how forests can be adapted to altered climatic conditions. The leading theme 'Healthy Future Forest' ranges from reforestation and forest transformation to biodiversity, wood utilization, and circular economy. In the special exhibition 'Shaping Forests Together' in Hall B6, the Bavarian State Ministry and the Bavarian State Institute for Forestry address these themes. In the outdoor area, the exhibition 'Sustainable Forestry - People at the Center' runs concurrently: occupational safety and health protection in forestry are the main focus there, making visible a second construction site of the industry: digitization and machines can ease work but do not replace the skilled workers who manage forests and make decisions.
Focus on Skilled Workers and New Ideas
Thus, people form their own leading theme at INTERFORST. Occupational safety, health protection, training, and new professional profiles are just as much part of the program as the question of how the sector can deal with the shortage of skilled workers. New in 2026 are separate startup areas in Hall B6, where young companies show digital applications, technologies, and new business models for forestry. The INTERFORST Congress on October 15 and 16, along with forums from October 16 to 18, complement the exhibition. Topics include climate-stable future forests, AI in forestry, generational change, and education. INTERFORST 2026 runs from October 15 to 18 on the grounds of Messe München, daily from 9 to 17 hours. The fair thus shows an industry that must handle several changes at once. Forests need to become more climate-resilient, companies need qualified workers, and machines must work more productively and also more gently. Digitalization can help with all these tasks. Crucially in Munich, it will therefore be especially important to see which technologies have already made the leap from research projects and pilot applications into practical forestry operations.