The event hall in Kobenz, wonderfully looked after by the director and employees of the agricultural and forestry college in Kobenz, formed the framework for this review and for the joint celebration of the anniversaries.

"What was once tenderly germinated has developed into a stable stock." That was the description on the invitation to the event and sums up what the initiators Hermine Hackl and Dagmar Karisch-Gierer achieved through their idea and the contribution of many committed women over the past 20 years. The Forest in Women's Hands project with forest walks for women has been running for 10 years, the first steps towards Forstfrauen were taken 20 years ago and the anniversary event was already the 100th event for Forest in Women's Hands.

Gender equality

At the anniversary event, Victoria Rammer and Eveline Breitwieser-Wunderl gave a lecture on the subject: “Thinking outside the box: How do other industries manage to get women excited?” Ms. Breitwieser-Wunderl works in HR at Porsche Holding Salzburg, Ms. Rammer in of the FH Upper Austria. During the panel discussion it was exciting to hear that women have to look for allies in the men's world in order to be able to take on responsibility in organizations. There are few or no female role models, and the self-empowerment to be able to trust oneself in the role is often subordinate. Men do not hesitate to take action, women think twice and need external mental support that encourages them to take the appropriate steps.

In the course of the event, the statement "One is the loneliest number!" Because in many cases one is subject to the fatal error "Once we have elected a woman to our management team, then everything is good and we have done justice to gender equality."

Go to the forest

A walk in the forest for women could not be missing from the anniversary event. Heidi and Reinhard Brantner, a family of forest farmers from Knittelfeld, invited the anniversary guests to a tour of the company and the forest. The operator presented special innovations with a transport sledge for forest plants and a simple way of clearing forest roads. Heidi Brantner, a career changer in agriculture and forestry, convinced with her passion for forest management and told how much she loves practical work in the forest. The anniversary event ended nicely with a cozy get-together at the farm.

Text: Maximilian Handlos