Post-war Forestry

to Kaisenik Village and five miles out of Wau. This plantation of not more than an acre became known as Anderson’s Plot.

When forestry operations at Wau resumed in 1956 the locality was known as Anderson’s Logging Area. Mr. Anderson appears to have been an assistant engaged by McAdam.

A forestry base and nursery had been established adjacent to the southern bank of the Bulolo River approximately one mile upstream from the No 6 gold dredge. This happened to be opposite the site of the new 1960 Forest Station. McAdam’s nursery site was approximately two miles in a direct line from the first plantation (Anderson’s Plot) and approximately five miles from the centre of the Wau mining locality. (Note 4)

Post-war Forestry

The war wiped out Wau. As a mining town its renewal depended upon startup of operations which took little time. However, the policy of ‘burnt earth’ which had been adopted by Australia’s military forces meant a complete rebuilding of the town and its infrastructure was required. Obviously, the saw-milling facility was essential in this process. No road yet existed linking the area with the coast, which retarded recovery. However, the wartime Administration under the Military with operational District Management by ANGAU, saw the inevitable combination of the administrative efforts in the two Territories.

Mt. Missim from Wau, 1960. Photo Credit Des Harries.

With McAdam leading the Australian Forestry companies during the latter years of the war, the groundwork for a combined post-war Department of Forests was laid. This was particularly important in two key aspects of a national forestry effort resource survey and saw-milling. In the former, McAdam had secured Territory-wide aerial photography at a scale amenable to forest resource survey and mapping. In the latter, the Forestry Companies’ sawmills at Lae and Kerevat provided immediate timber supplies for reconstruction in two major centres and developed a core of staff with a good degree of forestry aptitude and loyalty.

The Bulolo Gorge between Wau and Bulolo 1960. Photo Credit Des Harries.

Probably the largest project undertaken by the post-war Department of Forests was the marking of the survey reference points, trigonometrical stations, on the land allocated in the Wau/Bulolo valleys for