Recognition ceremony for Francisco Dans
Last Saturday, June 28, we celebrated an emotional day at the Pico Sacro Interpretation Center (Boqueixón) to pay tribute on the occasion of retirement of Francisco Dans del Valle, founding partner and director of the Galician Foresttry Association for 39 years.
More than 70 people - including partners, workers, family and friends - joined us in this emotional meeting. After lunch there were some words of praise from Xosé Covelo (director of AFG), Manuel Garea (forest owner), José Pérez Vilariño (founding partner), Carlos Duarte (president of Forestis), José Luis Chan (general director of Forest Planning and Management) and Antonio Rigueiro (president of AFG). A message from the Clúster da Madeira e o Deseño de Galicia was also read, by Juan Ramón Gallástegui.
Despite the heat, it was an unforgettable day, full of affection and pride for an exemplary career in the service of the Galician forests.
Francisco Dans del Valle, a forestry engineer, has been the promoter and director of the Galician Forestry Association since its establishment in 1986. During these 38 years, it can be said that he has participated in the vast majority of forums and committees in the Galician and Spanish forestry sector, and in quite a few at an international level, defending the positions and interests of private forest ownership. During part of his career, he combined his role as director of the AFG with that of associate professor of Projects at the Higher Polytechnic Engineering School of the University of Santiago de Compostela, and in recent years he has also held the position of vice-president of the Arume Foundation and vice-president of Institutional Relations of the AFG. As director of the AFG, he has lived with four different presidents, with whom he has always maintained very good relations.
