The 2023 World Logging Championship will take place in Estonia this week with the participation of 20 countries and 93 competitors, including some homegrown UK talent.
The 34th Championship is taking place 19 -22 April in Tartu at the Estonian University of Life Sciences Campus, with the wood used in the competition sourced from a PEFC certified forest. The teams are also planting trees from a PEFC certified forest, in a clear message that forests must be managed sustainably. Skills tested include tree felling, limbing and precision bucking.
Representing the UK will be Adrigh Cole, Richard Elliott, Peter Fox, Alun Jones Matt Thomas and Dewi Williams. North Wales in particular will be well represented with half the six-man UK team from the region. Team leader, Alun Jones, a forestry skills instructor from Llanefydd, Denbigh, who has represented the UK twice before said: “We’re confident and we hope to bring home the award to Wales and the UK.“
Chief organiser of the competition Mart Kelk said that organisers started to think of the event’s environmental footprint long before the beginning of the championships, including concerns over energy and fuel, transport and waste. “Loggers are usually forestry people and forestry professionals are some of the most environmentally minded people in the world so ensuring that the competitions have the least environmental impact possible is important.”
PEFC Estonia is a key partner at the event.
You can follow the competition at: www.wlc23.ee www.pefc.ee
