Rate My Professor Adam Maggard

Adam Maggard serves as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and the Harry E. Murphy Endowed Professor of Forest Systems Management in Auburn University’s College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment. He joined the faculty in 2017 as an Assistant Professor and Alabama Extension Specialist in Forestry Business and Investment, advancing to Associate Professor and his current administrative and endowed roles effective 2026. Maggard earned a BS in Forest Resources and Conservation from the University of Florida in 2006, an MSM in Business Management from the same university in 2008, an MS in Natural Resource Ecology and Management with an emphasis on forest resources from Oklahoma State University in 2011, and a PhD in the same field in 2016. His research and extension interests encompass the financial and economic aspects of forest management and planning, optimizing the use of forest resources, multiple-use management and sustainability, productivity of managed forest stands, business planning and management of timber and non-timber forest products, forest business, finance and investment, timber markets, and forest landowner outreach. Maggard is recognized as an expert in forest management, productivity of managed forest stands, financial and economical aspects of forest management, and tree physiology. He teaches courses in forest management and administration, forest business and investment, forest economics, and forest valuation, and has coordinated approximately 150 community-based outreach events.

Maggard co-developed and oversees Auburn’s online Master of Science degree in Forest Business and Investment and the Forest Finance and Investment Graduate Certificate program. He co-leads the Forest, Environment and Wildlife Leadership Academy, through which 82 students have graduated since its inception, preparing them for leadership in natural resource management. His scholarly output includes 12 refereed journal articles, such as “Climate Smart Forestry in the Southern United States” (Forests, 2022), “Guidelines for effective climate smart forestry” (Environmental Research Letters, 2023), and “Tree-based mulches influence soil properties and plant growth” (HortTechnology, 2012); 26 Extension publications, including “Costs & trends of southern forestry practices, 2016” (2018); 22 feature articles; and 13 information briefs. He has received 15 Extension awards, notably the 2024 Conservation Communicator of the Year by the Alabama Wildlife Federation at the Governor’s Conservation Achievement Awards, 2023 Extension Forester of the Year by the Forest Landowners Association and Forest Landowner Foundation, CFWE Harry E. Murphy Extension and Outreach Award (2020 and 2025), and Alabama Farmers Federation Duncan Award for Excellence in Production Agriculture and Forestry Extension (2022). Maggard has also co-led international cross-laminated timber conferences in 2022 and 2024.