During August and September 2008 the Northern United Forestry Group delivered the Melbourne University 'Master Tree Growers' course. The course was presented through a partnership with the North Central Catchment Management Authority and it was delivered with the support of Coordinator Morgana Te Pauae.

The focus of the program was on the establishment and management of trees for both low rainfall farm forestry and biodiversity across the diverse lands of Northern Victoria. There was a lot of interest in this course from people from a diverse range of backgrounds.

Twenty-six participants completed the 8 day course over a six week period. The adventure came to a conclusion with a dinner in Bendigo and the presentation of certificates and awards by Rowan Reid, National Coordinator of the MTG Program, and Senior Lecturer in Forest Science from the University of Melbourne.




The Master Tree Growers Course has become legendary throughout Australia. Some 80 courses have been delivered since the inception of the program in 1996. The course offers participants the opportunity to learn in a very non-threatening way  from farmers, scientists and industry leaders. It places great emphasis on learning from the experiences of farmers already engaged in farm forestry, many of which  are graduates from previous MTG courses.  
Equally, if you would like to participate in any future MTG course delivered by the Northern United Forestry Group complete the expression of interest form and send it off to us.