Ian Allan’s role as Supervisor of Natural Areas and Arboriculture at the Blue Mountains Botanic Garden Mount Tomah highlights his extensive expertise in managing diverse landscapes.
He leads a dedicated team of arborists, conservation land managers, and turf managers, overseeing nearly 250 hectares of World Heritage wilderness. This area includes one of Australia's finest cool climate tree collections and some of the lushest lawns in the Blue Mountains.
Ian's journey in horticulture began over 25 years ago. During this time, he has obtained diplomas and trade-level qualifications in Horticulture, Landscaping, and Arboriculture, and is also accredited in several internationally recognised tree risk management systems.
Ian loves the dynamic and multifaceted nature of his role, which ensures there is rarely such a thing as a ‘typical’ day. He has a broad range of skills in areas including garden maintenance, landscape design, tree management, sports turf management, irrigation, heritage garden management, and conservation land management.
His responsibilities span a range of activities, from climbing trees and assisting his team with trail clearance in the rainforest, to laying turf or spending extended periods in the office, developing comprehensive management plans, researching potential additions to the tree collection, and planning with his teams. Occasionally, he has the opportunity to go on field work to collect plant material or seeds for the Garden’s collection.
In addition to day-to-day management, Ian oversees projects such as developing the conservation collection of Wollemi Pines and enhancing the quality and biodiversity of the Blue Mountains Basalt Forest Endangered Ecological Community on their lands. He is also involved in creating trails and visitor experiences to share the Garden’s natural areas with the public, and is currently working on a project to conserve the Antarctic Beech (Nothofagus moorei).
What Ian values most about his job is the opportunity to work with passionate experts to contribute to plant conservation and create beautiful, meaningful spaces. He has an interest in First Nations knowledge keeping and the concepts of Country and Songlines, which he hopes to learn more about in order to become a better caretaker of their land.
Ian’s fascination with the natural world was inspired by his uncle, Ian Olsen, who also worked as a horticulturist and landscape designer at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney many years ago. Hearing stories from his mother about his uncle's adventures bushwalking across Australia to collect specimens and discover new species, inspired Ian from a young age. Today he proudly looks after a specimen of Eucalyptus olsenii, named after his uncle, in the Garden’s tree collection.
What Ian values most about his job is the opportunity to work with passionate experts to contribute to plant conservation and create beautiful, meaningful spaces.