Impressive rocky outcrops, control burns turning the sky red, chameleons, mushrooms and foresters hard at work. These are just some of the entries in May’s #ForestryFriday competition.

Designed to get forestry trending on Fridays, the Instagram competition provides a platform to showcase the different faces of forestry. In doing this, it is helping breakdown some of the myths and stigmas associated with plantation forestry.

In fact, our Instagram profile, which boosts over 1300 followers, is helping us show the world that forestry in South Africa is far from a sterile monoculture; it is a patchwork landscape providing key ecosystem services, harbouring great biodiversity and providing sustainable employment opportunities and wonderful recreational treasures. That’s before we consider all the everyday items and revolutionary products that are created out of wood.

We would like to thank you to everyone who has contributed to the success of #ForestryFriday, especially our previous winners:
January – @amaforester
February – @ilke-opperman
March – @Marius.du.plessis
April –@jacobus.pool

We are interested to see if Jacobus can do the double in May, as his spectacular Kaapsehoop granite feature has earned him a spot in this month’s competition.

If you want to get involved, it’s simple:

Follow @forestry_explained on Instagram

1. Take a great forestry photo and post it, with a comment explaining why you love forestry.

2. Use the #ForestryFriday in your comment and tag @forestry_explained either on the photo, or in the comment, so we know you have entered.

3. Tag other forestry-loving people.

Competitions run every Friday with the day’s winner notified and entered into an end of month draw. We then ask our followers to choose the winner when we repost the month’s weekly winners on the first Friday of the new month. The post that receives the most likes is crowned the winner, receiving a R250 Cape Union Mart voucher.

So what are you waiting for?

Click here to visit our Instagram page and add your voice and vision of forestry to #ForestryFriday.