18.07.2007 - European Foresters Orienteering Championship 29.09

On 17-20 July, the 14th European Foresters Orienteering Championship (EFOL) will be held in Pärnu County, Jõulumäe (“Christmas Hill”). More than 370 sportsmen from 14 European countries will be on hand.

The competition will be opened by Pärnu County Governor Toomas Kivimägi on 17 July, at 16.00. Welcome speeches will be made by Leif Strömquist, President of the International Committee of the European Foresters Orienteering Championship (EFOL), and Ülle Rajasalu, chairman of the supervisory board of the State Forest Management Centre (RMK).

The competitions will be held on individual sprint and ordinary trails, and a relay will also be organised. The winners will be identified by age groups. The competitions will be taking place in Estonia for the second time, after an interval of 13 years.

In addition to the strength trials on the orientation trails, the participants will be able to familiarise themselves with different aspects of Estonian forestry, listen to the seminar, and participate in the excursion.

“A person without orientation skills is helpless in the forest and relies only on the help of others. European forestry would be in the same situation without close contacts between people”, confirmed Ülo Viilup, chairman of the management board of RMK.

The organisers of the 14th EFOL are RMK and the Estonian Society of Foresters. The competitions are supported by the Environmental Investment Centre.

The venue for the competitions next year will be determined at the annual meeting of the Committee to be held on 19 July, as Byelorussia declined to organise the competitions at the last moment. EFOL was founded in 1993 and the first championship took place already in the same year in Latvia. The headquarters of the Committee is located in Sweden.

RMK is a profit-making state agency founded on the basis of the Forest Act, whose main objective is the economical and effective management of state forests. RMK grows forest renewal material, organises forest works and deals with the sale of forest and timber, and organises the care of game. In addition, RMK creates possibilities for movement in nature and forest holidays in recreation areas, and develops awareness of nature. RMK manages 38% of Estonian forests.

Further information:
Heiki Hepner
Deputy Development Director of RMK /member of the steering committee of the competitions
+372 502 7325
heiki.hepnerrmk.ee

elina.kinkrmk.ee