Tree & Shrub Growers: Speciality Trees
Beyond 40

 
While it is good to reflect on the past, we’re looking forward to the future. Twenty seventeen marks the 40th anniversary of the Speciality Trees business and 10 years under the current management. While we would like to recognise this milestone, our eyes and that of the industry should excitedly be fixed on the next 40 years.  

Mechanisation, water availability and use as well as what we are going to be producing are some of the key issues for the future.  

Come celebrate this milestone with us and consider some of the initiatives underway to propel our industry forward. The future is green.

The group will be given a tour of the Narre Warren site, then dinner and presentations will be held at Eating House in Rowville.

Guest Speakers

Alister Hawksford

Customer Relationship Manager at Bureau of Meteorology Agriculture Program

Alister is a geographical scientist with honours in climatology who is passionate about agriculture. His upbringing in a fine wool production family out of Armidale NSW led to an early realisation of the critical link between weather, climate, water and the success of agricultural businesses. 
His career goal is to continually hone the link between agricultural decision making and atmospheric science to improve the sustainability, efficacy and resilience of the sector. Over the last two years he has been the agriculture sector's representative within the Bureau, and is now a key part of the Bureau's new Agriculture Program, developing solutions for pastoralists and working across the sector to enable multi-peril insurance. 

Alister will outline how the Bureau sees Victoria’s changing climatic conditions based on their future scientific projections around rainfall, temperature and precipitation levels and discuss how their modelling can assist the industry to make better informed business decisions.

Professor David Ellsworth 

Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment , Western Sydney University

Professor David Ellsworth is Professor of Plant Eco-physiology at Western Sydney University. He has worked on tree photosynthesis for native and planted trees across the globe, though he prefers studying our native Australian flora. He is a specialist on the effects of climate change and elevated atmospheric CO2 on trees, and has more than 120 published works that have been cited thousands of times. He is currently a node leader for the Green Cities project at Western Sydney University and is the scientific leader of a large climate-change experiment situated in native woodland West of Sydney. 

David will discuss the range of research being undertaken in light of climate change focusing on the HIA ‘Which Plant Where’ initiative which has the potential to influence what the industry should produce in order to stay relevant beyond the next 40 years. 

Book and pay online and receive a discount, use promo code: TSGOCT17

To register for this event, you will need to login into your account. All members have had accounts created for them, so if you are unsure of your login details or would like to register a staff member who is not currently list under your business please contact the NGIV office on (03) 9576 0599.