Neil Hughes, RPF, is the forest establishment lead of forest science in the Planning and Practices Branch of the Ministry of Forests. He earned a BSc Honours in forestry from Aberdeen University and a MSc Environment and Management from Royal Roads University.

Neil worked for seven years as a professional forester in Scotland before coming to BC in 1994, and has spent 21 years in a variety of roles on the coast — from silviculture to planning, engineering, and harvest supervision. Neil was in the hardwood business for 15 years and is a provincial advocate for red alder management, having dealt a fair share of rich and brushy sites to regenerate.

He also spent seven years as the secretary of the Integrated Vegetation Management Association of BC, and worked on the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Act and Regulation during that time.

Neil is currently the forest establishment lead for the province, dealing with early stand development covered by practices, policy, and legislation. He is also co-chair of the Interior Broadleaf Working Group, as well as for the Chief Forester Drought Working Group