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Pro Silva Board Members

The board members of Pro Silva is comprised of forestry experts from across the European continent that ensure the smooth run of the organisation, promote Pro Silva’s principles and develop the underlying ideas of close-to-nature forestry.

Since 2021 a change in the constitution allows the board to appoint up to 6 additional members as extended executive board.

More detailed information about the board members you cant find by clicking the foto.

executive board members

Tomáš Vrška

New President Tomáš Vrška is the director of the University Forest Enterprise, Mendel University in Brno, Czechia. His PhD was focused on the dynamics of natural temperate forests. He is experienced in the application of scientific knowledges about natural forest dynamics into the practice, in conversion of even-aged to uneven-aged silviculture and restoration mamagement of forests.

Eckart Senitza

Vicepresident Eckart Senitza is the president of Pro Silva Austria since 2012 and continued with a strong team and about 540 members (2024). He intensified the contacts to the neighbouring countries Italy, Slovenija, Germany and Switzerland. He is forest owner of about 850 ha and managing it. Furthermore he works as forest consulter and delivers full forest service.

Dušan Roženbergar

Dušan Roženbergar is an assistant professor at the Department of Forestry and Renewable Forest Resources, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. His teaching and research work are primarily focused on close-to-nature, small-scale silviculture and forest ecology. A primary goal of this research is to develop and promote new silvicultural approaches focused on improved tending measures and forest resilience.

Stephan Hatt

Treasurer since 2024 Stephan Hatt works as a private consultant based in Zurich specializes in operational and silvicultural planning in continuous cover forestry. He is secretary and treasurer of Pro Silva  Switzerland since 2020. He took over this role from Anne Hürzeler.

Michal Vanco

Secretary since 2024 Michal Vanco (Pro Silva Slovakia) works as policy advisor at National Forest Centre in Slovakia - focusing on new EU policies related to forests (LULUCF, carbon removals, nature restoration, forest monitoring) and formerlyworked at secretariat of intergovernmental policy platform on forests - Forest Europe.

Anne Crespin

Anne Crespin works at Forêt.Nature where she is coordinating European projects promoting continuous cover forestry (for example, Askafor and Iskfor). In Forêt.Nature, she is also responsible for the development of new European projects, always for the promotion of continuous cover forestry. 

extended executive board members

Joao Carvalho

Joao Paulo Fidalgo Carvalho is a professor of Silviculture and Dendrology at the University Tras os Montes Alto Douro, Vila Real (Portugal), since 1988. He has a PhD in Silviculture and made a Post-Doc on the same subject in USA as a Fulbright Scholar. He has been working on close-to-nature in several countries, after its first contact in Germany (1996) he has developed activity linked to Pro Silva on several occasions.

Jonathan Hulson

Jonathan Hulson works as a land management consultant in North Wales, UK. He has over 10 years’ experience developing landscape-scale conservation projects for the Wildlife Trust and the Welsh Government, and providing communications support to the Global Species Programme at IUCN headquarters in Switzerland.

Hubertus Lehnhausen

Hubertus Lehnhausen he had managed a state forestry company in The Saarland. He is vice president of ANW Saarland near the border to France (Alsace). After his retirement he is a volunteer in the Nature Conservation Union Germany (NABU) in the Saarland State Board and can contribute to a good cooperation between forestry and nature conservation in the Saarland.

Antoine Cadoret

Antoine Cadoret is employed by Pro Silva France as director since spring 2023. He is not a forester but he has rich experience in project management. So he will be a big support for Pro Silva France and the team of Pro Silva either. He will play the key role in Pro Silva France to achieve professionalism and growth.

Alexander Held

Alex Held works at EFI (Bonn) and was involved in the “Integrate” projects at EFI, dealing with disturbance and biodiversity in managed forests. His interest and expertise is in fire, silviculture and deer management. The ProSilva principles and network are great examples for resilient forestry in a changing world. At Pro Silva we are happy that the EFI is now also addressing the issue of forest resilience!

Liam Byrne

New extended board member Liam Byrne was former chair of Pro Silva Ireland untill 2023. He lead the perfect Annual Meeting 2023 and works as woodland contractor and sawmiller, as consulter also togehter with Paddy Purser.

new board 2024 - Anne Crespin and Stephan Hatt are missing

former board members

Padraig O'Tuama

Secretary (untill 2024) Padraig O Tuama currently works as a private consultant focusing on continuous cover forestry. In past, Padraig was Best Practice Team leader – Forest Productivity with Coillte Teoranta in Ireland. Padraig trained as Forester in the Department of Forestry Training School graduating in1983

Serge Reinardt (2018)

Serge Reinardt

treasurer untill 2024, Serge Reinardt worked for over 35 years for the National forestry and Nature Agency in Luxembourg, managing forests and natural reserves. He fosters the exchange of know-how and he supports innovation between practice and theory by also being an instructor and a close to nature forestry trainer. After 30 years participating in different Pro Silva meetings, enjoying connecting colleagues from different nationalities and backgrounds, he initiated Pro Silva Luxembourg in 2010.

Phil Morgan

Vice President (untill 2021) Phil Morgan now combines consultancy work and the management of woodlands in Wales through his own company Sustainable Forest Management and through a trading co-operative called SelectFor. He is a specialist in continuous cover forest management and close to nature forestry.

Anne Hürzeler - de Turkheim

Anne Hürzeler-de Turckheim born in Strasbourg, first three years living in Truttenhausen, then near Paris and on holidays in Alsace, from 1979 to 1984 studies at SFIT (ETH) in Zurich finishing with diploma of forest engineer.  1992 founder member of the ANW Switzerland (to day Pro Silva Switzerland) and election as member of her board, where she is still the treasurer. 2013 election in the board of Pro Silva as treasurer.

Jurij Diaci

Professor Jurij Diaci is the head of Chair of silviculture and head of the Research Unit at the Biotechnical faculty, Department of Forestry, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. He studied forestry in Slovenia and at the ETH Zürich in Switzerland, where he defended PhD on regeneration ecology of forests. During his employment in mountain region of Nazarje in Savinja Alps he gained practical experience in silviculture.

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