Craig Nitschke – The Conversation

Centre for Forest Tree Technology

July 30, 2026

We revisited a forest experiment that lay forgotten for 30 years. What we found was astounding

Kaitlyn Hammond, University of Northern British Columbia; Craig Nitschke, The University of Melbourne; Patrick Baker, The University of Melbourne, and Raphael Trouve, The University of Melbourne

There is no silver bullet for managing forests, but this study answers some historic questions.

Benjamin Wagner

June 29, 2026

Can we keep Australia’s endangered alpine ash on the map? New modelling shows where to focus our efforts

Benjamin Wagner, The University of Melbourne; Craig Nitschke, The University of Melbourne, and Kaitlyn Hammond, University of Northern British Columbia

A hotter, drier and more fire-prone future is putting these unique trees at risk.

Dave Watts

February 3, 2026

Potoroos digging for ‘truffles’ keep their forests healthy – but for how long?

Emily McIntyre, The University of Melbourne and Craig Nitschke, The University of Melbourne

Long-footed potoroos dig up and eat many truffle-like fungi, spreading spores and keeping vital fungi-forest relationships healthy.

Tom Fairman

August 21, 2025

Climate change is driving a silent, sinister change in Australia’s mountain ash forests

Raphael Trouve, The University of Melbourne; Craig Nitschke, The University of Melbourne, and Patrick Baker, The University of Melbourne

Climate change is already reshaping the towering mountain ash forests of southeastern Australia, new research shows.

Severely burned forest following the devastating fire season of 2019 and 2020. T Fairman

December 8, 2021

Australian forests will store less carbon as climate change worsens and severe fires become more common

Tom Fairman, The University of Melbourne; Craig Nitschke, The University of Melbourne, and Lauren Bennett

Climate change threatens the crucial storage of carbon in Aussie forests. Victoria’s national parks alone store almost 1 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent.

Rohan Clarke

June 7, 2020

We modelled the future of Leadbeater’s possum habitat and found bushfires, not logging, pose the greatest threat

Craig Nitschke, The University of Melbourne; Andrew Robinson, The University of Melbourne; Melissa Fedrigo, The University of Melbourne; Patrick Baker, The University of Melbourne, and Raphael Trouve, The University of Melbourne

As climate change increases the frequency and scale of bushfires, our models suggest the habitats in Victoria’s Central Highlands may be hard to come by.

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