Full Name
Joe McLeod
Job Title
Associate Director Parks - Urban Forestry
Organization
City of Vancouver
Speaker Bio
Joe McLeod, RPF, has a background in forestry, landscape architecture, and arboriculture. He was inspired to study forestry at UBC after growing up in Ontario and making maple syrup each spring on his family’s maple woodlot near Rockwood.
Joe graduated in 2001 and moved to the US, where he worked on large ranches in New Mexico and Colorado, focusing on elk habitat, wildfire management, and forest restoration. He then moved to Nashville and worked as a tree climber by day and played bluegrass music by night. During this time, he was inspired to return to Ontario to study landscape architecture and, subsequently, work at design firms in Toronto and Calgary.
Joe returned to BC in 2010 and joined the City of Vancouver in 2011. He worked for the park development team until 2019, then took on the city arborist role. He eventually transitioned to the associate director role for park operations and is now responsible for the urban forestry portfolio of 150,000 street trees, 35,000 park trees, and more than a million trees in forested areas.
Joe graduated in 2001 and moved to the US, where he worked on large ranches in New Mexico and Colorado, focusing on elk habitat, wildfire management, and forest restoration. He then moved to Nashville and worked as a tree climber by day and played bluegrass music by night. During this time, he was inspired to return to Ontario to study landscape architecture and, subsequently, work at design firms in Toronto and Calgary.
Joe returned to BC in 2010 and joined the City of Vancouver in 2011. He worked for the park development team until 2019, then took on the city arborist role. He eventually transitioned to the associate director role for park operations and is now responsible for the urban forestry portfolio of 150,000 street trees, 35,000 park trees, and more than a million trees in forested areas.
Speaking At
