| Agency Name: | Forests Department (Western Australia) |
| Formed: | 1 January 1919 |
| Preceding1: | Department of Lands and Surveys |
| Preceding2: | Wood and Forests Department |
| Jurisdiction: | Government of Western Australia |
| Chief1 Name: | Charles Lane Poole |
| Chief1 Position: | Conservator of forests |
| Chief2 Name: | Mr P.J. McNamara |
| Chief2 Position: | Acting Conservator of forests |
| Dissolved: | 21 March 1985 |
| Child1 Agency: | Department of Conservation and Land Management |
The Forests Department was a department of the Government of Western Australia created in 1919 under Conservator of Forests Charles Lane Poole, that was responsible for implementing the State's Forests Act (1918–1976) legislation and regulations.
The Forests Department was incorporated all together with National Parks Authority and the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife on 21 March 1985 forming[1] the Department of Conservation and Land Management.
Source:[2]
Forest policies covered by the Forests Department involved the following management objectives:
The department had also several tree nurseries to help with these objectives in Hamel, Manjimup, Narrogin, Broome and Karratha for a total seedling production of 7 307 000 in 1985.
The Forests Department had management responsibilities in:[2]
In 1978, just before the wildfire crisis due to Cyclone Alby, the Forests Department was at the peak of its development:[3] The department was 70 years old, had a long tradition in fire management and was led by professional officers with bushfire experience. There were several hundred staff located in Districts and Regional offices in the south-west [...]. The total forestry resourcesavilable for the suppression operations on the day of cyclone Alby was [...]: 15 professional officers, 106 field officers of various ranks from District Foresters to Forest Guards, all fire-trained, 40 clerical staff, who could fill roles in fire administration, 46 overseers, 350 members of fire crews, 41 mechanics, also all fire-trained, or able to play supporting roles in a fire, 16 professional officers in the Research or Inventory Branches, mostly fire-trained, 48 technical officers in Research or Inventory, all capable of filling roles in a fire situation.
Some of the most severe West Australian wildfires, in chronological order, that the department had to suppress:
| Fire | Location | Area burned (1 ha ≈ 2.5 acres) | Date | Human fatalities | Livestock death/Properties damaged | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 Easter block (Nannup) wildfire[4] | Western Australia | Unknown | 2 January 1958 | 4 FD firefighters (1 gang) working on foot. | ||
| 1961 Western Australian wildfires[5] | Western Australia | 1,800,000 ha | January – March 1961 | 0 | 160 homes, town of Dwellingup destroyed. | |
| 1963 Shannon River prescribed burning (Manjimup) | Western Australia | Unknown | 8 January 1963 | 2 FD crews igniting | ||
| 1978 Western Australian wildfires | Western Australia | 114,000 ha | 4 April 1978 | 2 | 6 buildings (drop in wind in early evening is said to have saved the towns of Donnybrook, Boyup Brook, Manjimup, and Bridgetown.) |
Earlier forms of forest management in Western Australia were under:[6]
Around 1968, The Forests Department then was in full control of its destiny as mentioned[7] by a former forester and General Manager of Department of Conservation and Land Management: "We were more akin to an old Army regiment, with our regimental headquarters in Perth and our divisional centres in the field, our long traditions and powerful culture. Back then, the Forests Department was largely independent of Treasury (our revenue came from royalties from timber cut on State Forest), we recruited and trained our own field staff, had our own gangs of forest workmen, purchased and maintained our own vehicles, fabricated our own fire equipment, made our own maps, had our own private telephone system which spanned the entire South West, and even had our own settlements, complete with streets of houses and blocks of single men's hut."
The department maintained and coordinated a range of specialist equipment and emergency response vehicles. This included pumpers and tankers and other equipment relating to operations involving fire spotting and firefighting.
In 1984–85, the Forests Department's fleet of 9 Piper Super Cub aircraft was flown for approximately 5 600 hours to provide aerial surveillance of the State Forest and nearby Crown Lands and private properties.
Four lookout towers were used to maintain a continuous watch on important pine plantations, whilst another 20 towers were maintained as a back-up to spotter aircraft.
