Rowan Reid, National Coordinator of the Australian Master TreeGrower Program

Rowan Reid studied Forest Science and is now a Senior Lecturer at The University of Melbourne where he lecturers in agroforestry and natural resource management. As a student he worked on his brothers dairy farm and has been interested in marrying forest science and farming ever since.

His first book, Agroforestry in Australia and New Zealand, was written with Geoff Wilson in 1985. He has since written and edited a number of books on tree growing, has spoken at hundreds of seminars, conferences and field days and regularly writes for farming magazines.

In 1996, Rowan initiated the Australian Master TreeGrower Program with funding support from the Myer Foundation. The success of that initial pilot program of 7 courses was followed with more than $1 million dollars of federal government funding through the Joint Venture Agroforestry Program.

Rowan is also a tree grower himself. In 1987, he set up the Bambra Agroforestry Farm in the Otway Ranges of southern Victoria. The farm displays more than 45 commercial tree species, various planting arrangements and management options. More than 4000 people have visited the farm as part of field days, tours or training programs.

Rowan has worked in agroforestry and community forestry in Thailand, Vietnam, Fiji, India, New Zealand and The United States. He has also traveled to Kenya, Scandinavia, Europe, the United Kingdom to present at conferences and inspect agroforestry research and development.

With Andrew Stewart, he initiated the Otway Agroforestry Network in 1993 which has become one of the most successful farm forestry community groups in Australia. Rowan is currently editing the Australian Agroforestry News magazine for farmers and regularly writes about tree growing in farming magazines.

Rowan's Publications and Presentations - books and papers available to download

Bambra Agroforestry Farm - Rowan's private agroforestry demonstration farm in the Otway Ranges

The Otway Agroforestry Network - A community based landholder network with a innovative approach to engaging farmers in multipurpose tree growing.

Agroforestry at the University of Melbourne - Rowan presents Farm Trees and Agroforestry, a subject which is an elective subject withing the Masters of Forest and Ecosystem Sciuence. It is also available as a single stand alone subject. FOr more information CLICK HERE