Work and recreation in the forest – PEFC Spain announces Photo Contest winners

5 August 2022 Forests in photos

‘Caring for Forests’ was the theme of PEFC Spain’s 2022 national Photo Contest. The jury picked the three winners out of a diverse range of stunning photos that entered the contest.

“We received very diverse photographs showing forests in their wildest state, sustainably managed territories, and people enjoying these landscapes or carrying out field work, from measurements and felling to extinguishing fires,” said Ana Belén Noriega, National Secretary of PEFC Spain.

“The variety reflects the reality of Spanish forests and what they mean to the people who enjoy them or depend on them.”

The winners

First prize went to Eugenio Prados Lourdes for the photo ‘Charca da Uceira’ (‘Uceira Waterhole’).

The photo shows an artificial pond in a PEFC-certified forest in A Coruña in Galicia, North-Western Spain.

“The idea behind the construction of this pond was to provide water to extinguish possible fires, a reservoir for birds and a rest and relaxation area in the midst of sustainable forestry production,” explained the winning photographer.

Jimmy Bekkevold, won second prize for the image ‘Futuro Verde’ (‘Green Future’), alluding to a sustainable future in which forests are the protagonists.

“This picture reminds me that I wish for a green future for further generations,” he said.

Third prize went to Laura Vallejo Castro for her photo ‘Tala de pino con técnica de corte pinchando’ (‘Pine felling using the pricking cutting technique’).

Laura is a chainsaw operator who shows the result of her work after cutting down a damaged tree, in order to use the timber and thus create a young and healthy forest stand.

“The result of the felling of a pine tree in the country – a process that I carry out daily in my work as a chainsaw operator. We can see the cutting technique used to fell the tree, and that the tree was beginning to be damaged,” the photographer explained.

The prizes

PEFC Spain collaborated with Fuente La Virgen, Abadía Retuerta and Miel Muria, three companies that are committed to forest sustainability. All three are PEFC Chain of Custody certified and offer products from PEFC-certified forests as prizes for the three winning photographers.

To discover more photos entered into the Spanish contest, head to Instagram and look for #cuidamoslosbosquesfoto.