Steven Meyen

Additional Details

Directions to his office: Ballybofey Local Advisory Office.

Profile

Steven Meyen studied close-to-nature forestry at the State University of Gent, Belgium from 1982 to 1988. He has worked in forestry since the mid-eighties in Belgium, Nepal, Rwanda and Ireland.

After finishing his studies, he worked in research on the conversion of man-made conifer plantations to biodiverse woodlands focusing on natural regeneration processes and forest structure spatial development.

He then worked as a Community Forestry Adviser in the south of Nepal focusing mainly on agroforestry. He also worked as a Logistics Officer in Rwandan refugee camps.

From the mid-nineties, he worked as a forestry and hedging contractor in Donegal and Northern Ireland establishing, managing and regenerating hedgerows and (mainly) broadleaf woodlands.

He currently works as the Forestry Communications and Digital Media Coordinator for the Forestry Development Department, contributing regularly to the Farming Independent. In addition, he also provides advisory services to forest owners in Donegal.

He was chairperson (and founder) of the Donegal Forestry Forum resulting in Donegal’s first integrated forestry strategy and co-initiating the Forest Link project.

He is/was involved with Inishowen Uplands European Innovation Programme, Crann, The Organic Centre, Donegal Woodland Owners Society, Sligo Leitrim Forest Owners Group, Inishowen Forest Owner Group, Donegal-Sligo-Leitrim Renewable Energy Group, Biomass Advisory Group of the Western Development Commission and Technical Advisory Group of Woodlands of Ireland.

He was a member of Forest Stewardship Council’s Irish Standard Development Group successfully developing Ireland’s first FSC Standard and vice chair of Sustainable Forest Management Ireland.