Our mission

Our mission is to be a leading international organization that brings together women in forestry. We are making them stronger, more visible, and heard.

The main goal of WOFO is to connect existing networks of women in forestry, to support the creation of new networks and initiatives, and to make them more influential and integrated at the national and international levels.

These are our activities

Joint actions

Communication and promotion

Initiation and implementation of joint projects
Gathering data, sharing information, and collaborating in the area of gender reflective research
Supporting face-to-face meetings or contacts with individuals
Contributing expertise to other organizations
Participating in different networks and organizations

Our board members

Dagmar Karisch-Gierer

Chairwoman

I am Dagmar Karisch-Gierer from Austria. I studied forestry at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences in Vienna. Since 2002 I have been employed at the Forest Training Center Pichl in Styria. My focus is economics in small-scaled forestry, forest law, and in recent years the role of women in forestry, a topic that is receiving increasing attention on the national and international levels. I work with forest owners, I teach, give lectures and work on projects. In 2001, ten women working in forestry founded the network “Forstfrauen” (“Women in Forestry”), and since 2003 I have been the chairwoman of this association.

Nike Krajnc

Treasurer

I’m Nike Krajnc, a forester from Slovenia. Currently, I’m the director of the Slovenian Forestry Institute. Before that, I was a researcher and head of the Department of forest technique and Economics. I’ve been working in the Slovenian Forestry Institute since November 1996. My main interests are wood biomass, wood production chains and forest owner engagement. I was the coordinator of the Fem4Forest project (Forests in Women’s hands) and I believe that the Fem4Forest project is the beginning of a new movement to empower women working in forestry and I believe that the entire forestry sector can benefit from this.

Ragnhildur Freysteinsdóttir

Secretary

My name is Ragnhildur Freysteinsdóttir and I’m a project manager at Skógræktarfélag Íslands (The Icelandic Forestry Association). My main fields are general education and outreach; I supervise tree-planting projects for schoolchildren, our website, social media, and international relations. I also co-edit the Journal of the Icelandic Forestry Association, working to get more women into forestry writing, and I’m the current chair of Skógarkonur – Forest Women Iceland. I hold a B.Sc. in Geography (University of Iceland) and an MRM in Natural Resource Management (Simon Fraser University, Canada).

Iza Pigan

Chairwoman deputy

I am Iza Pigan from Poland. I am linked to forestry for more than 25 years, with studying at the forest faculties in Kraków and Warsaw, later working as a forester in Pszczyna and as researcher at Forest Research Institute. Currently, I work in the State Forest. I am a co-founder and chairwoman of the Women in Forest Association Poland. Additionally, I realize my scientific passions in cooperating with IUFRO Gender & Forestry working group as well as PEFC International. My main interests are forest botanics, nature protection, and last but not least – supporting women in forestry.

Lesya Loyko

Treasurer deputy

I’m Lesya Loyko from Ukraine. Since 2009, I have been leading the FORZA Agency, which focuses its activities on the sustainable development of forests and nature. I am not a forester; however, I am passionate about close to nature forestry as the future of the Ukrainian forests. Since 2006, FORZA in its activities includes the gender equality perspective in the forestry sector of Ukraine as a transversal topic. In the last years, our work on building the capacities of female forestry professionals and promoting equal rights in the sector accelerated and became more systematic.

Me and my colleagues from FORZA have been actively engaged in supporting female foresters and their children fleeing the war in Ukraine.

Maren Ammer

Secretary deputy

My name is Maren Ammer and I’m a forester from Göttingen/ Germany. I started studying B.Sc. Forestry in 2013 followed by a master’s degree in Urban Forestry with a semester abroad in Umeå/ Sweden and am now working for the State Forest in Lower Saxony, mainly with private forest owners. My main interests lie in silviculture linked with nature conservation. I’m a delegate of the german association „Frauen im Forstbereich e.V.” (founded 1993) and the main values for me are collaboration and equity. In my free time, I like different outdoor activities like hiking, climbing, and gardening. As the youngest WoFo board member I have a focus on young women in forestry and education.