Forestry and Forest Products Divisions
Originally established by the Federal Government in 1919 as the Forest Products Laboratory it became part of CSIR in 1928 as the Division of Forest Products (mark I). In 1971 the Division was broken up with resources transferred to the Division of Building Research and the Division of Applied Chemistry. Pulp and paper research continued as a component of the latter. In 1974 the Division of Applied Chemistry was split into the Division of Applied Organic Chemistry and the Division of Chemical Technology which continued the pulp and paper research. In 1983 following a divisional review, the Division of Chemical Technology was combined with the Agricultural Engineering group from the then disbanded Division of Mechanical Engineering to form a new division, the Division of Chemical and Wood Technology which undertook research in areas such as wood science, wood preservation, fibre separation and pulping. Following the McKinsey-assisted restructuring of CSIRO in 1988, the Division of Chemical and Wood Technology was closed and the resources disbursed to the following divisions: Forestry and Forest Products mark I; Biotechnology; Chemicals and Polymers and Food Processing.
The Forest Research Institute was not part of CSIRO and was formed in 1964, from the silviculture and forest resources divisions of the Forestry and Timber Bureau. In 1975 the Forest Research Institute and the Forestry and Timber Bureau were amalgamated and transferred to CSIRO as the Division of Forest Research. The Division was based in Canberra but with regional stations in Tasmania, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and the Northern Territory. In 1987, CSIRO underwent a major restructuring and the Division of Forest Research became the Division of Forestry and Forest Products in 1988.
In 1991 the Division spit, becoming the Division of Forestry and the Division of Forest Products (mark II) which remerged in 1995, once again forming the Division of Forestry and Forest Products (mark II). In 2004 the Division of Forestry and Forest Products formed a joint venture with Forest Research NZ to form ENSIS which in 2007 was renamed the Division of Forestry Bioscience.
In 2008 the Division of Forestry Bioscience was absorbed into the Division of Materials Science and Engineering (CMSE) which had been created in 2007.
History of Forestry and Forest Products
Chief of Division/Officer-in-Charge
| Division | Chief |
| Forest Products (mark 1) (1928-71) | Isaac Herbert Boas (1928-44) Stanley Anthony Clarke (1944-60) Herbert Eric Dadswell (1960-64) Jack D Boyd (1964-65) Robert William Roy Muncey (1966-71) |
| Forest Research (1975-87) | Maxwell Frank Cooper Day (1975-80) Alan Gordon Brown (Acting 1980-81) Joseph John Lansberg (1981-86) Alan Gordon Brown (Acting 1986-87) |
| Applied Chemistry (1966-74) | Sefton Davidson Hamann (1966-74) |
| Chemical Technology (1974-83) | Donald Eric Weiss (1974-79) Huntly Gordon Higgins (1979-83) |
| Chemical & Wood Technology (1983-87) | Warren Hewertson (1983-88) |
| Forestry and Forest Products mark I (1988-91) | Warren Hewertson (1988-91) |
| Forestry (1991-95) | Alan Gordon Brown (1991) Glenn A Kile (1992-95) |
| Forest Products mark II (1991-95) | Warren Hewertson (1991-96) |
| Forestry and Forest Products mark II (1995-2004) | Glenn A Kile (1996-2001) Paul P Cotterill (2001-04) |
| ENSIS (2004-07) | Paul P Cotterill (2001-04) Tom Richardson (2006-07) |
| Forestry Bioscience (2007-08) | Richard Ede (2007-08) William Mark Lonsdale (2008) |
| Materials Science and Engineering(2007-14) | Calum John Drummond (2007-11) Catherine Patricia Foley (2011-14) |
Sources
• Schedvin CB, Trace K, 1978, Historical Directory of CSIR and CSIRO 1926-1976, CSIRO Publishing.
• Encyclopedia of Australian Science
• CSIRO Communications