Dr. Brett McLeod is Dean of Faculty, Professor of Forestry & the International Paper Endowed Chair of Forestry Economics at Paul Smith’s College. His work in natural resource economics has included USAID-sponsored agro-forestry and eco-tourism work in the Dominican Republic, economic development work in southeast Alaska, and working landscape initiatives in the Adirondacks-North Country.
McLeod is the author of two books: American Axe: The Tool that Shaped a Continent and The Woodland Homestead: How to Make Your Land More Productive and Live More Self-Sufficiently in the Woods, as well as a regular contributor to Northern Woodlands, Mother Earth News and The Journal of Northeast Agriculture. In his role as Dean of Faculty, Dr. McLeod oversees 50 faculty and staff members representing a variety of disciplines including natural resources, culinary arts, business, and hospitality, as well as a number of interdisciplinary programs.
As a professor, Dr. McLeod takes great pride in giving his students real-world, hands-on conservation experience that delves into the complexity of natural resource management.
Focusing on the Adirondacks, McLeod and his students have developed a community forest in the town of Keene, NY, worked to protect sensitive ecosystems along Lake Champlain with the Nature Conservancy, and partnered with DEC to manage working forests that promote sustainable forestry and a vibrant rural economy. McLeod and his family run a small diversified farm in Vermontville, NY that raises Scottish Highland cattle, draft horses, and four-season vegetables thanks to a high-tunnel greenhouse. When not teaching, writing, or farming, McLeod relaxes by fly-fishing, reading, and chopping wood.