BANGOR – The best tools, logging techniques and the newest machinery are drawing impressive crowds to the 2003 Northeastern Forest Products equipment Expo 2003, which started Friday and will run through today at the Bangor Civic Center and Bass Park.

“The trade show has the latest equipment on display and a number of events designed to be of interest to people in the business,” said Northeastern Loggers’ Association representative Eric Johnson on Friday.

The association and The Northern Logger and Timber Processor magazine sponsored Expo 2003. The two groups bring the forest product exposition to Bangor every other year, alternating with West Springfield, Mass.

“We’re expecting 6,500 people. We’re expecting a pretty good show,” said Johnson, who also is editor of the trade magazine. “We’ve had a record number of exhibits and a record number of space sold.”

Exhibitors at Expo 2003 have brought every conceivable logging technology to the event. The 250 exhibits cover more than 200,000 square feet of space at Bass Park and within the civic center.

Two International Paper representatives said there are two reasons to attend Expo 2003.

“We came to see the latest-and-greatest timber harvesting and transportation equipment,” said Scott Olson, from IP in Costigan.

Olson’s co-worker, Todd Massey, said making connections are the second reason to attend.

“We also get a chance to interact with the people we do business with,” he said. “It’s social and functional.”

One Bangor retailer said the show is a great chance to show people in the logging industry what his business can do for them.

Albert Putnam, products manager for Engineered Materials of Maine, displayed his temporary bridge materials under a 40,000-pound John Deere skidder.

“We’re here to try and meet up with contractors that need temporary bridges or skidder bridges,” said Putnam. “We got into engineered wood products to make products like garage door headers, beams or anything used for building, because there is an abundance of hard-grain wood product available in Maine.”

Saturday’s events include a 9:30 a.m.-to-noon seminar on chain maintenance and safety, part five of Sawmill Shootout from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.; and from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. an Ethics and Images seminar and a Troubleshooting Hydraulics seminar. The Sawmill Shootout is a competitive event for loggers, which tests equipment, speed and skill of operators.

The cost to enter Expo 2003 is $5. Admission is free to exhibitors and those who pre-registered.