The 34th Forest Versatility Competition 2023 in Brno, Czech Republic.

The traditional competition organized by Mendel University in Brno.

Forestry Versatility is an annual competition between teams from LCs from both Europe regions with a long tradition of over 30 years. On April 1 – 7, 2023, 48 forestry students from around the world gathered in Brno, Czech Republic. This week, students compared their skills and knowledge in the forestry field. The organization of this competition is a tradition for the students of Mendel University in Brno, and this year marks the 34th year.

After a three-year break due to covid pandemic, a group of students from the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology at Mendel University in Brno decided not to abandon the tradition. Full of enthusiasm, they decided to continue organizing this international competition. Students of the International section of the Student Association of the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology organized Forestry versatility. Minister of Agriculture Zdeněk Nekula took over the patronage of this year’s event.

Students from Brno welcomed twelve teams, with each four-member per team, to the Czech Republic. Students from Germany, Switzerland, Estonia, the Netherlands, Italy, Slovakia, the USA, South Korea, North Macedonia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, and Austria presented their participation in the forestry event. Of course, the team from Mendel University in Brno participated as well. 

During the week, 48 competitors competed in theoretical and practical forestry disciplines such as working with a chainsaw, forestry taxation, knowledge of hunting, and hunting shooting. An interesting discipline was the simulation of work with harvester technology.

The official opening of Forestry versatility took place on Monday, April 3, 2023, on the premises of the Mendel University in Brno, with the presence of Libor Jankovský, dean of the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology. The opening words were followed by a professional Eurojack woodcutter performance, and the rest of the day was dedicated to competitive disciplines, namely practical skills in working with chainsaws. The program had disciplines such as branching on time, cutting a lying and standing log, disassembling a chainsaw on time, cutting with a two-man saw, and working on a simulator of harvester technology.

 Second day took place at the Masaryk Forest of Křtiny at the Dyk forest nurseries of the School Forest Company. The program included an orientation run with identifying natural objects and forestry taxation. Individual teams received a map with marked stations. At the individual stations, they were awaited by identification tags of minerals, herbarium items, seeds, fruits, wood samples, edibles, insects, and hunting items such as skulls, tracks, and game. All answers were accepted only in Latin. After reaching the finish line, they drew a random tree for which they had to determine its species, thickness, height, and wood volume.

 The third day was held at the shooting range in Holubice in the spirit of shooting disciplines. Competitors here tried their hand at skeet, trap, and small-bore shotgun shooting. Outside of competitive disciplines, they could also try archery. The day ended with a traditional international evening, where the contestants had the opportunity to represent their country with traditional food, drink, costume, national dance, or song.

 The closing ceremony of the Forestry versatility and the official announcement of the results took place on Thursday, April 6, at the Křtiny Castle. Awards awaited the best teams and individuals. In the 34th year of the Forestry versatility competition, the team from Slovakia dominated, the team from Romania took second place, and the team from Mendel University took third place. In the individual category, Jiří Kubala, a Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology student, won first place, followed by Jakub Rychnavský from Slovakia, and Oliver Reinhard from Switzerland took third place. The competition was symbolically concluded with the words of Libor Jankovský, dean of the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, followed by a lunch at the Křtiny Castle.

Finally, I would like to thank all the organizers for their willingness, time, and nerves that they put into organizing this event. Also, a big thanks to all the sponsors, without whom this competition would not be possible.

Author: Helena Nováčková

The main organizer of Forestry versatility 2023.

Email: xnovack9@mendelu.cz