State Forest Award – the eight categories

1. Sustainable Forest Management

Awards are given to individuals, enterprises, or projects that ensure the long-term preservation of the diverse functions of forests through consciously sustainable management. Ecological, economic, and social aspects are given equal consideration. Particular recognition is given to contributions to raising awareness in society as well as to fostering constructive cooperation with other stakeholders in rural areas.

2. Climate-Adaptive Forest Management

Awards are given to individuals, enterprises, or projects that ensure the long-term stability, productivity, and biodiversity of forests through targeted measures to adapt them to climate change. The focus is on strategies that promote genetic, structural, and site-appropriate diversity, increase resilience to disturbances, and make forests more climate-resilient overall.

Particular evaluation criteria include the use of monitoring and precautionary measures, the promotion of structurally rich stands, activities in knowledge transfer and communication, as well as the integration of knowledge management and education.

3. Protective Forest Management

Awards are given to individuals, enterprises, or projects that contribute to the conservation, stabilization, and improvement of protective forests — especially object protection forests — through innovative and responsible measures. The aim is to safeguard the diverse functions of protective forests, particularly with regard to risk prevention, natural hazard management, and adaptation to climate change and its implications.

Projects are evaluated based on originality, sustainability, and exemplary character, the integration of scientific knowledge, contribution to ecosystem services, and the participation of relevant stakeholder groups, especially forest owners and beneficiaries of protection.

4. Forest–Wildlife Management

Awards are given to individuals, enterprises, or projects that ensure the long-term provision of the diverse functions of forests through conscious, sustainable, and ecologically oriented wildlife management, while achieving a balance between forest regeneration, biodiversity, and wildlife populations. Submissions are evaluated in terms of originality, creativity, exemplary character, sustainability, consideration of scientific knowledge, and the involvement of relevant stakeholder groups.

Particular importance is given to cooperative structures, ecological impact, and the communication of hunting as an integral part of sustainable land use.

5. Innovation

Awards are given to individuals, enterprises, or projects that provide new impetus to the forestry and timber sector through innovative and sustainable approaches (for example: technological, digital, social, or cultural). Both application-oriented and experimental projects with strong future potential and broad impact in forestry and in the material and energetic use of wood are taken into account.

6. Youth

Awards are given to projects, works, or ideas by young people under the age of 20 who engage creatively, critically, or through research with topics such as forests, climate, wood, or sustainability in connection with forest/wood/bioeconomy. Submissions may include, for example, videos, apps, blogs, final theses, artistic contributions, or school projects.

7. Public Relations

Awards are given to individuals, projects, measures, and creative formats that strengthen the image of sustainable forestry and wood use in Austria through original, target-group-oriented, and wide-reaching communication. The focus is on contributions that raise awareness and sensitize the broader public, promoting a fact-based, differentiated, and positive perception of forests, forestry, and wood use.

Particular consideration is given to creative campaigns, media and educational formats, interdisciplinary projects, and other innovative communication measures that highlight the societal relevance of forestry and present it as a forward-looking, sustainable sector.

8. Bioenergy

Awards are given to individuals, enterprises, institutions, or projects that bring forest biomass to market or use it for energy purposes in a particularly sustainable, innovative, resource-efficient, and climate-friendly way. The focus is on solutions for the energetic use of wood that make a clear contribution to climate protection, energy efficiency, security of supply, regional value creation, and forest protection. The aim is to promote innovative uses of wood as a resource. Both technical innovations and integrative concepts that combine ecological, economic, and social aspects are taken into account.