David Hutchins in Australia 1914–1915: the Penultimate Chapter in the Career of an Imperial Forester

Abstract

David Hutchins, after a distinguished career in forestry in India and Africa, visited Australia as part of the British Association for the Advancement of Science tour in 1914. This paper reconstructs Hutchins' tour and considers how it prepared him for writing a controversial report published in 1916 as Discussion on Australian Forestry. Reactions to the report are also considered. The place that Hutchins occupies in the Australian forest history literature is reassessed, particularly the interplay between his preconceived ideas and local experiences. Discussion on Australian Forestry is interpreted as the last major, though not unequivocal, success in his long career in forestry.