The 3rd International Forestry Women's Conference took place on 27 and 28 May 2022 at the Waldcampus in Traunkirchen, located on the beautiful Traunsee lake in Upper Austria, Austria. On the initiative of Dagmar Karisch-Gierer, Chairwoman of the Forest Women in Austria, and the international forest women's project Fem4Forest, more than 70 participants from 13 European countries met at the largest forestry education competence centre in Europe.
Central topics of the conference ranged from strengthening and deepening the international network to the development of concrete activities and measures to achieve an increased participation of women in the forestry and timber industry in Europe. Project staff from Fem4Forest presented results from the survey, which was conducted within the framework of this project, and concrete activities from the awareness campaign and the training and mentoring programme. As role models, women and men told what it takes to find one's own place in the wood sector. Gender experts reported on learning areas, important communication and cooperation necessities in order to consistently and step by step come closer to justice for all genders.
The declaration of will by women's forestry organisations from Ukraine, Poland, Iceland, Germany, Slovenia and Austria can be described as historic. The 6 representatives are working together to establish an international umbrella organisation by the end of 2022. In a very exciting and interesting presentation, this project was presented to the participants of the conference at the evening reception in the Seegasthof Hois'n Wirt in Gmunden.
Networking, communication, cooperation and knowledge transfer formed the basis of this forward-looking conference for women in the forestry and timber industry. An excursion to the Kremsmünster Monastery forestry operation in the Almtal supported the togetherness and showed that women have their place in forestry. For this forestry, a female business leader manages operation.
Project website and contant info: www.interreg-danube.eu/approved-projects/fem4forest