In Memoriam: Professor Emeritus Paul Leet Aird

On behalf of Paul’s wife, Linda Pim

Paul left this Earth on February 18, 2024 at age 94, after a long illness. His soul is flying with the loons. He was much loved and cherished by his wife Linda Pim, his previous wife the late Margaret Aird, his daughters Lyn Barsevskis (the late Paul) and Diana Aird, his grandsons Mark Barsevskis (Leanna Turchet) and Peter Barsevskis (Sarah Hirschfeld), and extended Leet, Aird and Murray families, as well as Linda’s sisters Barbara Gay, Elizabeth Pim and Carolyn Pim and extended family.

He was the beloved son of the late Maiben and Pearle Aird and cherished brother of the late David Aird (Barbara) and the late Joan Aird Jacobsen (the late George Jacobsen). He grew up on the Aird dairy farm in Hudson Heights, Québec on the shores of the Ottawa River.

Paul was a person of diverse interests and passions, and great intellectual curiosity and accomplishments, most of them focused on conserving nature, especially forests.  He graduated from Macdonald College of McGill University with a B.Sc.Agr. in 1952 (Soil Conservation), from Cornell University with an M.S. in 1953 (Forest Soils, Conservation), and from Cornell University with a Ph.D. in 1957 (Forest Soils, Conservation, Biometrics). He was a forest research scientist in the Québec forest industry from 1952 to 1974 (Canadian International Paper Ltd. and the Pulp & Paper Research Institute of Canada). From 1974 to his 1996 retirement, he was Professor of Forest Conservation Policy at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Forestry. Paul was a Registered Professional Forester in both Ontario and Québec, a member of the U of T Governing Council 1984-87, and a Commissioner on the Niagara Escarpment Commission 1993-96.

His continued involvement at U of T for several years after retirement as a Professor Emeritus included taking new forestry graduate students during orientation week on a “Walking Tour of the University of Toronto from a Forester’s Perspective.” Also, after retirement, he did freelance work as a Plan Approver under Ontario’s Managed Forest Tax Incentive Program helping private landowners manage their forests for conservation.

Paul became a well-recognized expert on the natural history and distribution of the Kirtland’s Warbler, a bird species regulated as endangered in Ontario. He searched for suitable habitat (young Jack Pine stands) in the wilds of Ontario and Québec for the presence of the species for 40 years until 2016. His discovery of a singing male at CFB Petawawa, Ontario in the late 1970s led to the species being listed in Ontario as endangered. He served for many years on the Kirtland’s Warbler Recovery Teams of both the United States and Canadian governments.

A prolific writer on nature and conservation right through to 2021, Paul was the author of both scientific and popular papers, reports and commentaries on forestry and nature conservation issues.  He authored the book Loon Laughter: Ecological Fables and Nature Tales in 1997 and the book Butterfly Beautifly Beautiful: Nature Poems in 2021, which collected his best poetry written over a 60-year period. Two of his poems became songs recorded by Canadian musical artists.

He received several awards, including the J.A. Bothwell Award from the Canadian Pulp & Paper Association “for the most meritorious work of the year on behalf of forest conservation in Canada” (1971), an Endangered Species Stewardship Award from the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (2008), and a Conservation Pioneer Award from the A.D. Latornell Conservation Symposium (2011).

Paul loved to walk, hike, skate, ski, snowshoe, paddle a canoe and camp in Canada’s wild places. Sharing these experiences with family, friends and students stimulated his writing of fables, stories and poems.

Special thanks to Nicole Robitaille (PSW) for her help with care of and companionship for Paul in the last year and a half of his life.

A gathering to celebrate the life of Paul Leet Aird will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday May 11, 2024 at the Inglewood Community Centre, 15825 McLaughlin Road, Inglewood, Ontario, his home with Linda for the past 28 years. In lieu of flowers and according to Paul’s wishes, the family requests that you consider a donation in Paul’s memory to Macdonald College of McGill University, the First Nations University of Canada, or any organization that promotes literacy (such as United for Literacy, formerly Frontier College).