Agroforestry.net.au Trees on farms for shelter, conservation & profit Website by Rowan Reid

What is Agroforestry?

For me, agroforestry is the integration of trees and shrubs into farming landscapes for conservation and profit. It's all about farmers using trees to improve the environmental, social and economic values of their land. I've been working with Australian farmers for more than 30 years. From the wheatbelt of Western Australia to the Atherton Tablelands in North Queensland I don't think I've ever seen a farm that would not benefit from more tree cover or better forest management.

Welcome to my agroforestry website. After more than 20 years working as a lecturer in agroforestry and farm forestry at The University of Melbourne I'm now freelancing. I maintain my role as coordinator of the Australian Master TreeGrower Program and as volunteer editor of the Australian Agroforestry magazine. I will even be still teaching my Agroforestry subject at Melbourne University (see link below).

This web site presents information, ideas, opinion and research that I think might be of interest to Australian farmers and those who work with them. You can download my own publications, read practical information on tree species and management, take a virtual tour of our own Bambra Agroforestry Farm and watch videos on harvesting, integrating trees into farming systems and shiitake production.

I'm happy to try and answer your email questions at no charge (go to Ask Rowan). I am also available for speaking engagements, field days, consultancies and can organise tours of my property and other leading agroforestry farms around Australia. For those in the many agencies working with farmers I can also organise and run workshops and courses that reflect your needs.

I hope you find the site useful.

Thanks for your interest,  Rowan More about Rowan Reid

Bambra Agroforestry Farm 25 Years On: Huge field day planned for Friday 27th April 2012

We started planting trees in April 1987 where going to celebrate with a massive field day and expo on Friday April 27^th 2012. Hosted with the Otway Agroforestry Network we’ll put on a series of demonstrations, displays, talks and more. I’ll be cutting trees down and milling them up. We’ll also show you how we grow shiitake mushrooms, plant trees, prune, thin and enjoy ourselves. Come for a picnic and stay for dinner.

Bambra is 30 minutes west of Geelong. Put the date in your diary – more details to follow.

NSW Native Forest Master TreeGrower Courses

Grafton (NSW) and Casino courses have just started

 Contact: Annabel Kater mobile:  0437399511 or Rowan Reid 0409609939

Annabel Kater leads a discussion on silviculture in a private native forest during a Master TreeGrower course in the Hunter Valley

The NSW Office of Environment and Heritage has contracted the Australian Master TreeGrowers to conduct 5 courses on sustainable forest management for private landholders. The first of the 6-day courses was run in the Hunter Valley.

NEXT COURSE: GRAFTON (intro day November 22nd) and then CASINO (new year)

Since 1993, more than 90 Master TreeGrower courses have been conducted across Australia including 32 in New South Wales. In 2000 the Australian Master TreeGrower won the prestigious Eureka Award for excellence in natural resource management education.

These specially designed private native forest management courses will: review the many values that private native forest provide; explore forest market opportunities, prices and product specifications; help landowners identify tree species and measure their forest; provide knowledge of forest ecology and silvicultural options; and outline the steps in developing a forest management plan. Participants will hear from a wide range of local and national experts in all aspects of native forest management and see what other local landholders are doing in their own forests.

The New South Wales Government is subsidising this training because it is keen to encourage more sustainable forest management on private land. They appreciate that landholders have a wide range of reasons for wanting to manage their native forest and are keen to help them satisfy any legal requirements, undertake their forest management in a safe and efficient manner and enjoy the benefits.

 The cost of the 6-day course is $100 but the first day is free so you can come along just to find out more before enrolling.

Each participant will receive a measurement tape, notes, books, a hat and MTG gate sign. For more informaiton about the MTG program CLICK

If you wish to learn more or register your interest in one of the courses please call the Master Tree Growers PNF Coordinator, Annabel Kater, as soon as possible on 0437399511 or send her an email (annabelkater@bravo.net.au) to find out more or to register your interest. For more information about the Australian Master TreeGrower program contact Rowan Reid (0409609939).

Looking for past Master TreeGrowers and other tree growers

Have you completed one of the 90 or so Master TreeGrower courses I have run around Australia since 1996? I would like to stay in contact thrugh email. I send out an irregular/non-commercial email to more than 600 recipients with information about events, the Australian Agroforstry Magazine and Master TreeGrower courses and seminars.

If you want to join please send me you email address: Rowan

BOOK SALE: Agroforestry for Natural Resource Management by Ian Nuberg, Brendan George and Rowan Reid

Published by CSIRO publishing and written by more than 20 contributing authors. This 350 page book covers everything from salinity to sawlogs and economics to aesthetics.

The Australian Master TreeGrower Program has copies available at a discounted price of $60 (includes postage) as a special offer until our stocks run down (usually $80 plus postage). Email Rowan for details on how to get your copy.

MORE ABOUT THIS AND OTHER PUBLICATIONS

Related Programs

	We ran the first Australian Master TreeGrower course in 1996. Since then, more than 1750 landholder have completed one of the 85 courses run across the country.  Yet, the MTG is more than just a short course  for farmers. After being hosted by the University of Melbourne for 13 years the MTG program is now run by a not-for-profit community groups.. ____________________________________________________________________________________________
	Australian Agroforestry Magazine Australian Agroforestry is a not-for-profit magazine for Australian tree growers currently edited by Rowan. Check out past editions and subscribe online. NEXT EDITION: Calling for contributions now: SEND IN YOUR COMMENTS, ARTICLES, PICTURES, LETTERS NOW Send in your stories, photos and letters to Rowan Reid ________________________________________________________________________________________
STUDY AGROFORESTRY AT MELB. UNI. 220510 Farm Trees and Agroforestry	Rowan has been teaching Agroforestry at Melb. Uni. Since 1991. His subject is now a 2-week elective available to students of the new forestry masters and to the public  through the university’s community access program. This subject covers the principles and practices of integrating trees into the rural agricultural landscape for both conservation and profit. The farming community requires trees and shrubs for shade and shelter, soil conservation, salinity control and aesthetics. Farmers can also produce commercial tree products such as timber, fuel, fodder, essential oils and food. Because farmers manage the majority of the Australian landscape governments, community groups and industry are increasingly working in partnership with them to grow trees for environmental services including carbon sequestration, biodiversity and downstream water quality. YOU MISSED IT for 2011 but look out for the 2012 dates (posted here soon) If you want to discuss the course please contact me. _________________________________________________________________________________________
Rowan's Email News Group	I send out an occasional newsletter to more than 1000 people on a confidential email list. There is no commercial advertising, just information from not-for-profit groups. If you'd like to join the list simply drop me an email - see Contact Rowan below.