James Macdonald

James Macdonald, CBE, FRSE (3 August 1898 – 28 April 1963) was a British civil servant and forester.

Born on 3 August 1898, Macdonald attended Blairgowrie High School from 1903 to 1915, then served in the Royal Flying Corps during the First World War. On demobilisation, he read for a BSc in forestry at the University of Edinburgh, graduating in 1923.

Macdonald entered the Forestry Commission in 1924 and worked as a researcher. He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for his services in the 1953 New Year Honours and served as president of the International Union of Forest Research Organizations from 1956 to 1961, alongside his work with the Forestry Commission. From 1960 to 1962, he was acting Deputy Director-General of the commission during Sir Henry Beresford-Peirse's secondment to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. In 1962, when Beresford-Peirse returned and became Director-General, Macdonald was promoted to substantive Deputy Director-General. He retained responsibility for research in this role. He retired on 31 January 1963 and died on 28 April 1963. After his retirement, the commission's forestry research was reorganised; the post of Chief Research Officer was abolished and responsibility for research was given to the post of Director of Research (occupied by Andrew Watt), while the management section was transferred to the commission's headquarters.