The Teagasc Forestry Development Department have announced the winners of category one of its forestry photo competition entitled ‘Celebrating the New Forestry programme 2023-2027’, today (Thursday, November 2).
The images that won were chosen from a range of photographs submitted to the competition from all across the country.
The theme of category one was ‘Trees and Biodiversity’, which was won by Adrian Nolan from Co. Galway in the adult category, with a photo of life on the forest floor.
The junior winner was Skyla McPartland from Co. Leitrim. Skyla’s picture was multifaceted, showing the various layers of an ecosystem.
A voucher worth a value of €300 will be awarded to each of the winners.
They will also be entered into the Grand Final on December 15, where an overall winner will then be chosen from each of the three theme winners in each junior and adult category, winning a further €300 voucher.
Acting Head of the Forestry Development Department at Teagasc, Tom Houlihan said:
“This striking photo combines a number of very attractive elements; the tall serene trees with the ray of sunlight captured just at the moment it shines through; and the fungal structure, a diverse range of which occur in our forests, reminding us that biodiversity occurs in many forms, some of which often go unnoticed.”
Teagasc forestry liaison officer, Paul Butler, described Adrian Nolan’s adult category-winning photo as “a great illustration of the often hidden lower layers of the forest”.
Category two of the competition entitled ‘Trees on the farm’ is now open for entries until November 20, 2023 for both age categories.