Certified Professional Soil Scientists

Declan McDonald is ReGen Soils’ principal Certified Professional Soil Scientist. He has over 30 years experience addressing soil challenges and other soil related issues.  A summary CV follows:

2021 – Present
Director and Principal Soil Scientist, ReGen Soils P/L

2014 – 2021
Senior Soil Scientist, SESL Australia

2010 – 2014
Productive Soil Specialist, Victorian Dept of Environment and Primary Industries

2007 – 2010
Tasmanian representative on the National Committee on Soil and Terrain

2006 – 2010
Principal Land Management Officer, Tasmanian Dept of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment

2005 – 2006
Regional Landcare Facilitator, Southern Rivers Catchment Management Authority

1997 – 2005
Community and Operations Manager, Shoalhaven City Council

1994 – 1997
Open Space Manager, Warringah City Council

Declan McDonald from Regensoils has the following qualifications for Soil consultancy services.

• Certified Professional Soil Scientist, Soil Science Australia – current year certification
• Graduate Certificate in Climate Change, University of Melbourne, 2013
• Master of Sustainable Agriculture (Soils), University of Sydney, 2006
• Graduate Certificate in Leisure Management (EcoTourism), University of Technology, Sydney, 2002
• Bachelor of Science (Urban Horticulture), University of Technology, Sydney, 1996
• Associate Diploma in Horticulture (Nursery Management), Ryde TAFE, Sydney, 1992

Capability Statement – Urban Horticulture
Declan McDonald, BSc, M SustAg, CPSS

ReGen Soils P/L was established in 2020 to provide high level soils and horticultural advice to the Landscape and Landscape Architecture industries, construction industry, soil manufacturers / recyclers, developers, and the nursery industry.

Declan McDonald is the Principal and is a Certified Professional Soil Scientist (https://www.cpssaccreditation.com.au/) and a qualified Horticultural Scientist.  He holds an Associate Diploma in Nursery Management, a Bachelor of Science in Urban Horticulture, a Master’s degree in Sustainable Agriculture (Soils), a postgraduate certificate in Ecotourism, and a postgraduate certificate in Climate Change.

Declan has over 30 years’ experience in soil and horticultural management in a variety of roles in both public and private sectors.  He has held senior roles in Open Space Management with Shoalhaven and Warringah Councils in NSW, and in primary production with the NSW, Tasmanian and Victorian state governments.  He left his position with the Victorian government as Statewide Specialist – Productive Soils to open the Victorian office of SESL Australia in 2014.   He established ReGen Soils in 2020.  He sits on the Victorian board of AORA (Australian Organics Recycling Association) as a technical adviser.

Declan has led a very large number of soil investigations and a sample of the breadth of these is provided:

Development / construction

• Dept of Primary Industries, Parks, Water & Environment, Tasmania.  Project managed the Tasmanian Guidelines: Dispersive Soils and their Management 
• Hume City Council.  Develop and deliver staff training in extent, risks and management of Sodic and Dispersive Soils
• Whittlesea City Council.  On-call professional reviewer of Sodic and Dispersive Soils Management Plans
• Melbourne Water.  Investigation of Dispersive Soils over 380ha of the Kalkallo Retarding Basin
• Engie SA. Hazelwood mine soil survey for rehabilitation purposes
• Hanson Quarries. Soil assessment fo perimeter embankment for rehabilitation purposes
• Ground Science.  Investigation of Dispersive Soils at Merrifield, Sunbury and Mickleham
• Melbourne Water.  Acid Sulfate Soil Management Plan and validation assessments at Lilydale Wetlands
• Lend Lease.  Completion of detailed soil survey, guidance on beneficial reuse and Standard Operating Procedures for soil recovery on  the Aurora Development, Wollert
  
• Lend Lease.  Soil survey for Harpley Residential Development at Werribee to determine the quality and quantity of recoverable soil resources
• Lend Lease.  Assessment of risk to Flinders St heritage wall from construction and tree planting below Melbourne Quarter development
• MAB Corporation. Soil assessments for a number of Merrifield developments
• Frasers Property.  Wallara Waters wetland investigation, Burwood Bricks Citrus Wall, Cranbourne soil survey
• Stockland.  Soil survey for Lyra development.  Sodic and Dispersive Soil Management Plan
• Melbourne Metro Rail Project and the North-East Link Road Project.  Development of Best Practice Guides for Soil Management
• Caulfield to Dandenong Level Crossing Removal Project.  Investigation and development of soil profiles that maximised re-use of road-base materials beneath ‘Skyrail’ sections
• Heritage Insight Archaeologists.  Investigation of soil profiles to determine formation and ages of deposits as part of cultural heritage assessment for Rokeby wind farm
• Department of Justice.  Investigation and rectification of failed sports oval construction at the Castlemaine Prison
• ACE Landscape Services. Development of bespoke soil profiles for the extension of the Bendigo Botanic Gardens; Remedial Works Plan to manage contamination at Wyndham Park, Werribee; soil contamination investigations at Chipton Pk, St Kilda; soil investigations at the Chisholm Rd prison, Fawkner Cemetery, Bendigo Hospital, Cranbourne Level Crossing Removal project, Monash University, Penguin Parade, Phillip Island, Puffing Billy, Gembrook and more
• Verve Projects.  Consulting services for street tree planting for the Yarra Bend, Clyde and Talbot Village developments; bespoke tree pit design over landfill at Epping; technical advice to review road construction standards for street trees; sodic soil investigations for two projects in the northern growth corridor.

Soil specification / design

• Melbourne Water. Development of Specifications for soils and landscaping of constructed Melbourne Water assets
• Botanic Gardens, South Yarra.  Soil design and specification for re-development of the Arid Gardens
• Ecodynamics, MulchXpress, ASQ, GreenBear and other soil manufacturers.  Development of bespoke soil blends
• Tract Landscape Architects. Soil survey and stripping plan for the redevelopment of Kingston Links Golf Club at Rowville

Soil Management Plans / Land Capability Assessments

• Private client.  Soil Management Plan as required by Bass Coast Council for development on agricultural land on Phillip Island
• Various. Soil Management Plans for management of sodic soils (see below)
• Dept of Primary Industries, Parks, Water & Environment, Tasmania. Project managed the Government’s Wealth
  from Water initiative – a state-wide soil management / land suitability assessment to guide investment in agriculture
• Private client.  Land capability assessment for nut production on 200ha in the Balliang region
• Various.  A number of land suitability assessments for cereal production across Victoria’s cropping belt
• Bass Coast Landcare.  Land Diversification Investigation.

Horticultural investigations

• Glenfyne Function Centre.  Investigation of Cypress canker
• Moore Park Korean War Memorial.  Phytophthora investigation
• VicRoads McKechnie St Carpark.  Phytophthora investigation
• Seymour Race Track.  Investigation of poor turf rooting
• Melbourne Racing Club.  Soil investigations on Caulfield and Sandown Racecourses
• Greyhound Racing Victoria.  Review and advise on sand properties for optimal racing conditions
• Glen Eira City Council.  Investigation of poor turf and plant performance on flagship Booran Reserve
• City of Melbourne.  On-going consulting services for a wide range of installations
• Royal Botanic Gardens in South Yarra and Cranbourne. On-going consulting services
• WAMA botanic gardens.  Soil survey and assessment for the new gardens at Hall’s Gap

Green roofs / green walls

• Rush Wright Landscape Architects. Development of bespoke lightweight and ultra lightweight green roof media for the Comprehensive Cancer Centre’s gardens on the second, seventh and tenth floors
• Biofilta and Van Schaik’s Biogro. Development of specifications for wicking bed media

Nursery industry

• NGIV.  Development and delivery of soils and growing media master classes
• WHG hydroponics. Development of Living Soil blends
• Mansfield’s Propagation Nursery. Investigation of stock plant health and management
• Botanix. Investigation of poor root development in advanced trees and design of new growing media

Declan has a gift for communicating complex scientific concepts to support engineers, planners, growers and designers
optimise soil condition for risk management, enhanced performance and longevity.

Capability Statement – Agriculture and Horticulture
Declan McDonald, BSc, M SustAg, CPSS

Regen Soils P/L was established in 2020 to provide high level soil and horticultural advice to the agriculture and horticulture industries, soil manufacturers / recyclers, developers, and the nursery industry.

Declan McDonald is the Principal and is a Certified Professional Soil Scientist (https://www.cpssaccreditation.com.au/) and a qualified Agricultural / Horticultural Scientist.  He holds an Associate Diploma in Nursery Management, a Bachelor of Science in Urban Horticulture, a Master’s degree in Sustainable Agriculture (Soils), a post graduate certificate in Ecotourism, and a post graduate certificate in Climate Change.

Declan has over 30 years’ experience in soil and horticultural management in a variety of roles in both public and private sectors.  He has held senior roles in Open Space Management with Shoalhaven and Warringah Councils in NSW, and in primary production with the NSW, Tasmanian and Victorian state governments.  Following his time as the Victorian government’s Statewide Specialist – Productive Soils he opened the Victorian office of SESL Australia in 2014.   He established ReGen Soils in 2020.  He sits on the Victorian board of AORA (Australian Organics Recycling Association) as a technical adviser.  He is also an Accredited Expert in Natural Capital Accounting with Accounting for Nature.

With qualifications in horticulture, agriculture, soils and climate change, Declan is uniquely positioned to understand the complex interactions between soils, plants and climate and uses this knowledge to engineer the best outcomes across a range of industries.

Declan has led a very large number of soil investigations and a sample of the breadth of these is provided:

Regenerative agriculture

• Develop and host an eight-part video series on regenerative agriculture for Westernport Landcare Network https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjE8GJied2s8X_MUTwZxyRDmTxuVY5G-v
• Develop and deliver 7-part webinar on soil carbon sequestration and regenerative agriculture for Agriprove https://agriprove.io/grow-top-soils-webinar
• Develop and deliver an 8 week training course in regenerative agriculture for farmers on the Mornington Peninsula on behalf of Mornington Peninsula Shire Council
• Technical presenter, Soil Carbon Sequestration on ABC Radio National’s The Science Show https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/scienceshow/soils-can-play-a-major-role-in-storing-carbon/12678540
• Design and deliver a CFI project for Yaloak Estate and report on soil carbon stock. Advise Yaloak on soil carbon sequestration strategies

Policy

• Lead development of a Food Economy and Agroecology Strategy for Mornington Peninsula Shire Council https://shape.mornpen.vic.gov.au/food-economy-and-agroecology-strategy
• Development of an Accounting for Nature-approved level 3 method for Landcare Australia to value Natural Capital on private farming land https://www.accountingfornature.org/soil-methods
• Development of an Accounting for Nature-approved level 2 method for Kilter Rural to value Natural Capital on private farming land https://www.accountingfornature.org/soil-methods
• Project management for the development of the Tasmanian Guidelines: Dispersive Soils and their Management with the Tasmanian Dept of Primary Industries and Water
• Project management for the development of the Tasmanian Acid Sulfate Soil Management Guidelines with the Tasmanian Dept of Primary Industries and Water

Agricultural / horticultural investigations

• Authored the inaugural chapter on Soil Biology for the Dairy Industry’s Soil and Fertiliser Manual https://fertsmart.dairyingfortomorrow.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Dairy-Soils-and-Fertiliser-Manual-complete-reduced-file-size-3.pdf
• On-going consulting services for Terra Nova, Kilter Rural, Australian Farmland Operating Fund and other corporate farming operations on soil management and soil health
• Initiation and technical guidance on compost use in subsoil applications on 800ha for Kilter Rural
• Developed numerous Management Plans for individual farms to guide transition to regenerative practices
• Provided technical review and guidance for beneficial reuse of liquid and solid phase digestate to replace dunder as a fertiliser for vegetables in South-East Queensland
• Digestate characterisation and process optimisation for Yarra Valley Water’s anaerobic digestion process
• Provided technical support, product characterising and guidance during the commissioning phase of Sacyr’s compost facility in Dandenong South
• Provide technical review of works approval application for static pile composting for Victoria EPA
• Project reporting on broadacre compost use in the Victorian irrigation district for Veolia
• Technical guidance on compost on broadacre agriculture and production horticulture for Van Schaik’s Biogro, Biomix, Enviromix, Veolia, Dulverton and others (e.g. https://www.ppwcma.vic.gov.au/priorities-projects/past-projects/compostundervinemornington/
• Soil design, soil specification and quality control for re-development of the Arid Garden at the Botanic Gardens, South Yarra.
• Investigation and remediation of soil constraints for the Botanic Gardens, Cranbourne

Land Capability Assessments

• Project managed the Tasmanian Government’s Wealth from Water initiative – a state-wide land capability assessment to guide investment in agriculture commenced 2009 and on-going
• Nut production on 200ha in the Balliang region
• A number of land suitability assessments for cereal production across Victoria’s cropping belt
• Farm Management Plan as required by Bass Coast Council for development on agricultural land on Phillip Island
• Land Diversification Investigation, Bass Coast Council

Development / construction

• Investigation of Dispersive Soils over 380ha of the Kalkallo Retarding Basin for Melbourne Water.
• Acid Sulfate Soil Management Plan and validation assessments at Lilydale Wetlands for Melbourne Water.
• Soil survey for Lend Lease’s Harpley Residential Development at Werribee and Aurora Retirement Development at Wollert.
• Development of Best Practice Guide for Soil Management for both the Melbourne Metro Rail Project and the North-East Link Road Project.
• Investigation and development of soil profiles that maximised re-use of road-base materials beneath ‘Skyrail’ sections of the Caulfield to Dandenong Level Crossing Removal Project.
• Soil survey, profile design and dam assessment for a major private development at Flinders.

Declan has a gift for communicating complex scientific concepts to support farmers, engineers, planners, growers and designers to optimise soil condition for risk management, enhanced performance and longevity.

Grant, B & McDonald, D, 2019.  Earthworm Field Research Report, Horticulture Innovation Australia, Sydney.

McDonald, D, & Hill, J, 2018.  Inclusion of soil biological and contaminant measures into the Tasmanian SCEAM database, presentation to the Australian Soil Science Association conference, Canberra.

Howieson J., Tilley, A, Colquhoun, E, O’Keefe, E, Nash, S, McDonald, D, Evans, T, Gillespie, G, Hardwick, D, Beavis, S, Francina, C, McCorey, D, & Wheat, L, 2019, Options for Utilisation of Carp Biomass. Fisheries Research and Development Corporation, Canberra

McDonald, D & Grant, B, 2017.  Optimising Vermiculture in Commercial Vegetable Production, paper presented to the Australian Organics Recycling Association annual conference, Adelaide.

McDonald, D, 2016. Compost and soil carbon, paper presented to the Australian Organics Recycling Association annual conference, Melbourne.

McDonald, D, 2016.  Properties of greyhound track sands, presented to the biennial Aust / NZ Soil Science Conference, Queenstown, New Zealand

Drake, J., Cavagnaro, T., Patti, T., Wilkinson, K., McDonald, D., Johnston, P., Wilson, K., Rose, M. and Jackson, R., 2014.  From rags to riches: the story of carbon, nutrients and pasture with dairy compost applications, Geophysical Research Abstracts, Vol.16, EGU2014-77, EGU General Assembly.

McDonald, D, & Wilkinson, K, 2014. Compost making on Dairy Farms, DEPI, Melbourne.

McDonald, D, 2013. Understanding and managing soil biology, chapter 5 in ‘Dairy Soils and Fertiliser Manual’, Dairy Australia, Melbourne.

McDonald, D & Wilkinson, K, 2012.  Composting Spoiled Hay, a guide to on-farm compost making, DPI, Melbourne.

McDonald, D, 2012.  ‘Food Security and Soil Health’, chapter in Food Security in Australia, Higgins, Farmar-Bowers & Millar (eds.), 2012, Springer Science and Business Media, New York.

McDonald, D, 2010. Progress towards Sustainability – a consensual delusion or viable process? – paper presented to 19th International Congress of Soil Science, Brisbane.

McDonald, D, & Rodgers, D, 2010. Soils Alive! Understanding and managing soil biology on Tasmanian farms, DPIPWE, Hobart. 

DPIPWE, 2009.  Tasmanian Acid Sulfate Soil Management Guidelines, DPIPWE, Hobart.

McDonald, D, McPhee, J & McNeill, J, 2009.  Operational Plan for the Development of Controlled Traffic Farming in the Tasmanian Vegetable Industry, DPIPWE, Hobart.

Hill, J & McDonald, D, 2009.  Inclusion of Soil Biological Measures into Soil Condition Evaluation and Monitoring & Preliminary Testing for Soil Contamination by Pesticides and Heavy Metals in the Cradle Coast Region, Final report to CfoC and Cradle Coast NRM, DPIPWE, Hobart.

McDonald, D, Baldock, J & Kidd, D, 2007.  Cradle Coast Organic Carbon Monitoring Trial: National Monitoring and Evaluation Framework, prepared for the National Land & Water Resources Audit, Canberra. 

McDonald, D. 2005. Biology in Agriculture, DVD, SRCMA, Nowra.