Dr Andrew Leslie, PhD

Biography

Andrew has a thirty year career in forestry and joined the National School of Forestry in 1999 after a decade undertaking tropical forest research. His interests lie in the silviculture and sustainable management of natural and plantation forests. Prior to teaching he worked mainly overseas on forestry development projects, as a forest researcher and in project management in countries as diverse as Somalia, Lesotho, Guyana and Vanuatu. During this time he conducted research on forests as varied as industrial plantations to tropical rainforests.  Andrew’s publications are mainly the results of silvicultural research but other areas include agroforestry in Somalia and forestry Higher Education in the UK. Andrew has recently completed a PhD on eucalypts in Britain at Edinburgh University and is now undertaking tree improvement work on spruce and research on the pine weevil.

He has considerable course management experience; for eight years he was Course Leader for the distance-learning courses, for two years for the part time courses and more recently Course Leader for some of the undergraduate full-time forestry programmes. He teaches a broad range of subjects including silviculture, basic forestry skills, business and forest policy.

Qualifications and memberships

2017 PhD (Edinburgh), 1998 MBA (Edinburgh Business School),1988 MSc Forestry (Oxon), 1985 BSc (Hons) Ecological Sciences with Honours in Forestry (Edinburgh)

Member of the Institute of Chartered Foresters

Member of the Conifer Breeding Cooperative

Academic and research interests

Andrew has a strong interest in applied silviculture and has considerable experience in tree improvement, particularly in establishing and analysing field trials of tree species and provenance.  For his PhD this was focused on eucalypts, a genus he became familiar with in his work overseas.  More recently his focus has been on spruce, a more economically important genus in the UK.

Research supervision

Andrew is currently supervising a PhD undertaken by Carrie Hedges on the potential extent of montane scrub species and treeline ecotone dynamics in Great Britain.

Publications

Leslie, A.D. Mencuccini. M. Purse, J. and Perks, M.P. (2017) A resource capture efficiency index to compare differences in early growth of four tree species in northern England.  iForest - Biogeosciences and Forestry 10(2): 397-405 ·

Purse, J and Leslie, A.D. (2016) Eucalyptus - Part 2 Findings from trial plantings, and silvicultural requirements in the British Isles. Quarterly Journal of Forestry 110(3):161-168 

Purse, J and Leslie, A.D. (2016) Eucalyptus – Part 1. Species with forestry potential in the British Isles. Quarterly Journal of Forestry 110 (2) 88-97.

Walmsley,J.; Savill, P.; Burley, J.; Evans, J; Horsey, R,: Leslie, A.; Falck, J,:Innes, J, and Waterson, J. (2015) Forestry in British Higher Education. Quarterly Journal of Forestry 109 (4). 268-273

Leslie, A.D. Mencuccini. M. Purse, J. and Perks, M.P. (2014) Frost damage to eucalypts in a short-rotation forestry trial in Cumbria (England) iForest, Volume 7.

Leslie, A.D. Mencuccini. M. Purse, J. and Perks, M.P. (2014) Results of a species trial of cold tolerant eucalypts in south west England. Quarterly Journal of Forestry 108 (1). p18-27.

Leslie, A.D. Mencuccini. M. and Perks, M.P. (2013) Growth and Survival of provenances of Snow gums (Eucalyptus pauciflora) and other hardy eucalypts at three trials in England. Scottish Forestry 67 (2) p30-39

Bogdanou, T.;Starr, C.B.; Weatherall, A. and Leslie, A.D (2013) Use of the internet and social media in the forestry profession in the United Kingdom. International Forestry Review 15(2) p147-159

Leslie, A.D. (2012) Eucalyptus in Great Britain, Species choice, yields and financial returns. Presentation delivered at Woody Crops: Growing a Bioeconomy, 9th Biennial Short Rotation Woody Crops Operations Working Group Conference, November 5-8, 2012, Oak Ridge, Tennessee

Leslie, A.D.; Mencuccini, M. and Perks, M. (2012) The potential for Eucalyptus as a wood fuel in the UK. Applied Energy Vol 89 No1, p176-182.
 

Leslie, A.D.; Mencuccini, M. and Perks, M. (2011) Eucalyptus in the British Isles. Quarterly Journal of Forestry. Vol 105, No 1. p43-53.

Leslie, A.D. and Wilson, E.R. (2009) The anatomy of a woodland: Stand profile diagrams as an aid to problem-based learning in undergraduate forestry education. The Forestry Chronicle. Vol 85 No 5. p725-732

Wilson, E.R. and Leslie, A.D. (2008) The development of even-aged plantation forests: a field-based practical exercise in forest stand dynamics, Journal of Biological Education. Volume 42, Number 4, Autumn 2008.

Cope, M.; Leslie, A.D. and Weatherall, A (2008) The potential suitability of provenances of Eucalyptus gunnii for short rotation forestry in the UK. Quarterly Journal of Forestry, Volume 102, Number 3. p185-194.

Leslie, A.D.; Wilson, E.R. and Starr, C.B. (2006) The current state of professional forestry education in the United Kingdom. International Forestry Review, Vol 8 (3). P339-349.

Leslie, A.D. (2005) The ecology and biodiversity value of Sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus) with particular reference to Great Britain. Scottish Forestry. Vol 59 No 3. p19 -26.

Leslie, A.D. (2004) The impacts and mechanics of certification. The International Forestry Review. Vol 6 (1). p30-39.

Bennett, C.J. and Leslie, A.D. (2003) Assessment of a Eucalyptus provenance trial at Thetford and implications for Eucalyptus as a biomass crop in lowland Britain . Quarterly Journal of Forestry. Vol 97 No 4 p257 -264

Leslie, Andrew. (2002) Distance Learning in Forestry.  The Experience of the National School of Forestry. Quarterly Journal of Forestry. Vol 96 No 3. Special Supplement, Forestry Education Update. p S11-S14

Leslie, A.D. (1991) Agroforestry Practices in Somalia. Forest Ecology and Management 45. 293-308pp.

Leslie, A.D. (1991) Indigenous Forest and Woodland in the Kingdom of Lesotho. Paper delivered at the 13th Meeting of the SARCCUS Standing Committee for Forestry. South African Forestry Journal 158.  97-103pp.

Recent external roles

Ongoing - Committee member of the Royal Forestry Society Northern England Group.

2014-2018 Member of the Institute of Chartered Foresters Professional and Educational Standards Committee

2014-2016, Secretary of the Institute of Chartered Foresters Northern England Regional Group

2013-2016, External Examiner for forestry programmes at Bangor University.

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