Treenet Symposium Speaker

Dr Dean Nicolle OAM

Biography

Dr Nicolle, from Adelaide in South Australia, has been interested in Australian native plants since childhood. By the age of 16 he was devoted to seeing in the wild, and attempting to grow, every known species of eucalypt.

Dr Nicolle is qualified with a Certificate in Horticulture at Urrbrae High School, a Bachelor of Applied Science and a Bachelor of Science (Honours in Botany) at Adelaide University, and a Ph.D. in eucalypt systematics at Flinders University of South Australia. He has named over 70 new species and subspecies of eucalypts and has authored over 75 peer-reviewed scientific publications, all relating to eucalypts, as well various reference books including Native Eucalypts of Victoria and Tasmania, South-eastern Australia (2022), Smaller Eucalypts for Planting in Australia (2016), Taller Eucalypts for Planting in Australia (2016), Native Eucalypts of South Australia (2013) and Atlas of Leaf Venation and Oil Gland Patterns in the Eucalypts (2013).

Dr Nicolle is self-employed as a consulting arborist, botanist and ecologist, specialising in the eucalypts. He established and maintains Currency Creek Arboretum in South Australia, a specialist research arboretum growing over 800 species of eucalypts. His research associated with CCA has involved extensive field research throughout Australia and abroad.

In 2003 Dr Nicolle received a Centenary Medal awarded by the Governor-General for service to the community through the establishment of a eucalypt research arboretum, and in 2015 he received the inaugural Bjarne K Dahl Medal for providing an outstanding contribution to eucalypt conservation and education. In 2018 he was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for services to the conservation of Australian eucalypts.

Session Abstract

At Currency Creek Arboretum

Currency Creek Arboretum is a specialist eucalypt arboretum focused on education and scientific research into Australia’s most dominant and iconic group of plants, the eucalypts (genera Angophora, Corymbia and Eucalyptus). The arboretum has the largest collection of eucalypt species growing anywhere in the world, it is privately-owned, managed by partners Dean Nicolle (botanist, arborist & ecologist) and Anne F Boerner (geoecologist and scientific publications specialist) and is largely self-funded through their income and research collaborations. The sheer number of fully-vouchered collections makes the arboretum an unparalleled resource for live material, data, observations, and experimentation in many fields of eucalypt-related research. The Arboretum’s first plantings occurred in 1993 (30 years ago), with new blocks of trees planted in most years since. To January 2023, approximately 10,800 individuals have been planted, sourced from 2,790 different seed accessions (populations).

Over 140 scientific articles have been published that have used data and/or resources of the arboretum. Research includes:

  • Response of eucalypts to climate change and drought
  • Chemistry of, and natural products from, eucalypt flowers
  • Eucalypt evolution and genetics
  • Leaf chemistry and herbivory
  • Eucalypt hybridisation and pollen dispersal
  • Eucalypt taxonomy
  • Regeneration strategies and fire response
  • Suitability of eucalypt species for urban and rural cultivation

Browse Our Resources

To browse our extensive library of resources from this and other authors, click below.
BROWSE

TREENET acknowledges the Traditional Owners of country throughout Australia and recognises their continuing connection to land, waters and culture.
We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.

Scroll to Top