McAdam MM - 1938-1959

1938-1959

“JB” James Bannister McAdam MM 1910-1959 First Managing Director of TPNG forests.

Jim McAdam was a graduate of University of Queensland and Australian Forestry School. (dux in 1932/33). In 1934, he joined Queensland Forestry. In 1938 he joined the TPNG administration and made Chief Forester 1939.

With the threat of war in the Pacific, McAdam enlisted in the NGVR. After the Japanese invaded Salamaua in March, he led a party of scouts which established an observation post within a mile (1.6 km) of enemy positions. McAdam acted as a guide in the foray and was awarded the Military Medal for his outstanding service at Salamaua.

From 1944/45 he was Lt Col 1 Aust CRE (New Guinea Forests). In 1946 he became Director of Forests TPNG. He died in 1959.

Jim McAdam’s forest management achievements as Director of the Department of

Forests PNG reflect a rational economic approach to forest politics. His post-war activities were associated with providing timber for reconstruction of war damage and laying foundations for future forestry development. The demands and devastation caused by the war, the expanded services needed to cater for the immediate development of the community, plus an increased demand in Australia for woods, made visible for the first time a live picture of forest development. McAdam took PNG as information of the forest resources accumulated, from a scene of early exploiters of PNG’s forest resources for sandalwood, with a small sawmill industry supplying local needs and a small export trade of walnut logs to a sophisticated export industry of plywood, sawn timber, and logs to global markets, especially Australasia. It took World War 11 to provide an impetus to expand the scope of the forest from its traditional role. McAdam undertook ongoing initiatives to ensure forest resources for future development capitalising on the results of the Army Forest Resource Survey group he commanded. At the same time, he continued to ensure traditional owners’ rights were enshrined in forest legislation.

McAdam’s foresight saw development of initiatives for reforestation and afforestation to ensure long term forest resources availability for the country of PNG.

At the same time, he established training initiatives for ongoing professional forester development with the establishment of the TPNG Australian Forester cadetship scheme. His objective was that this be the forerunner to the training of PNG foresters.