The Forest Science Centre has evolved from its early precursor in the Forestry Commission of NSW’ Division of Wood Technology. This research division was established by the Commissioner of Forests, E. H. F. Swain on 9 April 1936¹. To allow this, the Forestry Act, 1916, was amended in 1935 to accommodate construction and maintenance of kilns for experimental drying of timber. The first Officer in Charge was M. B. Welch and the original role of the new Division was to investigate the properties and utilisation of timbers from trees native to New South Wales and to promote their use by industry and the public.

The Division of Wood Technology operated from the Technological Museum in Harris Street, Ultimo until premises were leased at 96 Harrington Street, Sydney in late 1937. These premises were eventually purchased by the Forestry Commission in 1939.

Division of Wood Technology, 96-98 Harrington St

During the Second World War 1939-1945 the Division concentrated on matters of National defence and, among other projects, the Division’s staff worked in shifts to maintain a 24 hour per day testing program of timber for aircraft production, particularly for the Mosquito Bomber.  Also during that time the neighbouring building, No. 98, was taken over and 96-98 Harrington Street was occupied by the Division of Wood Technology until August 1972.

The Wood Technology Division, a subtle new title, was moved to new premises in Cumberland Forest at West Pennant Hills in 1972 due to the demand by the Sydney Cove Redevelopment Authority for the Harrington Street land.  This was fitting, as Cumberland Forest was located and established by Commissioner Swain for the “purpose of ornamental tree production, arboretum and forest experiment station”.

In early 1976 the Division was renamed the Wood Technology and Forest Research Division.  The range of the “new” Division’s activities is reflected in the names of its ten sections:  Entomology; Forest Ecology; Hydrology; Pathology; Plywood and Veneer; Silviculture, Soils and Nutrition, Timber Engineering; Forest Products Utilisation and Forest Conversion Sections.  In addition the Regional Research Centres at Bathurst, Coffs Harbour, Eden, Tumut and Wauchope had become part of the Division’s structure.

Over the next 28 years and several restructures the Division became the Research Division and then the Forest Research and Development Division.  Research in wood technology was gradually de-emphasised to the point that when the NSW Department of Primary Industries was formed in July 2004 incorporating the then State Forests of NSW, wood technology research was reduced to a single timber engineer position and some minor wood protection research.

Forest Science Centre

The Research and Development Division was split between Forests NSW and NSW DPI Science and Research in the formation of NSW DPI.  The Forest Science Centre was established around those science and research elements that remained located in Cumberland Forest.  The Forest Science Centre is home to the Forest Resources Research Unit with the research effort now focussed through the three Program areas of Forest Health Management, Forest Biodiversity and New Forests.

1. Information on the early history of research in the Forestry Commission of NSW was obtained from Grant, T. C. (1989).  History of Forestry in New South Wales 1788 to 1988.