Maxwell Ralph Jacobs (25 February 1905 – 9 October 1979) was an Australian

forester A forester is a person who practises forest management and forestry, the science, art, and profession of managing forests. Foresters engage in a broad range of activities including ecological restoration and management of protected areas. Fores ...

. Jacobs was born in

North Adelaide North Adelaide is a predominantly residential precinct (Australia), precinct and suburb of the City of Adelaide in South Australia, situated north of the River Torrens and within the Adelaide Park Lands. Laid out in a grid plan in three section ...

and attended

Unley High School Unley High School is a public coeducational secondary school, located in the Adelaide suburb of Netherby in South Australia. It is administered by the Department of Education, with an enrolment of 1,562 students and a teaching staff of 114, as ...

and then the

University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide is a public university, public research university based in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. Its main campus in the Adelaide city centre includes many Sa ...

. He began his career as a forest assessor in the

Australian Capital Territory The Australian Capital Territory (ACT), known as the Federal Capital Territory until 1938, is an internal States and territories of Australia, territory of Australia. Canberra, the capital city of Australia, is situated within the territory, an ...

in 1926 and was appointed chief forester in 1928. He completed further studies and served in the military during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. In 1932 '' Eucalyptus jacobsiana'', specimens of which had been collected by Jacobs, was named in his honour by

William Blakely William Faris Blakely (November 1875 – 1 September 1941) was an Australian botanist and collector. From 1913 to 1940 he worked in the National Herbarium of New South Wales, working with Joseph Maiden on ''Eucalyptus''. Maiden named a red gum ...

. Other species collected and described by Jacobs include; '' Eucalyptus niphophloia'', ''

Eucalyptus camaldulensis ''Eucalyptus camaldulensis'', commonly known as river red gum, is a flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae, and is Endemism, endemic to Australia. It is a tree with smooth white or cream-coloured bark, lance-shaped or curved adult leaves, flow ...

'' Dehnh. var. ''pendula'' and '' Eucalyptus abbreviata'' all named in 1934. Following the war Jacobs was appointed as principal and lecturer in

silviculture Silviculture is the practice of controlling the growth, composition/structure, as well as quality of forests to meet values and needs, specifically timber production. The name comes from the Latin ('forest') and ('growing'). The study of forests ...

at the Australian Forestry School and remained there for the next fifteen years. In 1955 ''The Growth Habits of the Eucalypts'' was published by the Commonwealth Government Printer, and consolidated much of Jacobs' work. The book became a standard text in all countries growing eucalypts around the world. In 1961 Jacobs was appointed as director-general of the Commonwealth Forestry and Timber Bureau and played a role in the formation of the Australian Forestry Council in 1964. After his retirement in February 1970, he continued to work occasionally as a consultant to organizations such as the

Food and Agriculture Organization The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; . (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger and improve nutrition and food security. Its Latin motto, , translates ...

. Jacobs died on 9 October 1979 in Woden Valley Hospital in

Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...

. A street in

Wright Wright is an occupational surname originating in England and Scotland. The term 'Wright' comes from the circa 700 AD Old English word 'wryhta' or 'wyrhta', meaning worker or shaper of wood. Later it became any occupational worker (for example, a ...

is named in his honour.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jacobs, Maxwell Ralph 1905 births 1979 deaths Australian foresters People educated at Unley High School