News
Log salvage in the Whitsundays to serve new market
Amanda Buttram
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N the mainland hub of the world-famous Great Barrier Reef tourist destinations including the Whitsunday Islands and Whitehaven Beach, is Whitsunday Timber in Cannon Valley, Queensland, Australia. Founded by Craig and Janelle Yeomans, the sawmill company seeks to help neighboring residents and businesses make use of the area’s valuable natural resources. With a Wood-Mizer portable sawmill, Whitsunday Timber mills salvaged logs into stunning wood slabs and dimensional timber that will serve new purposes in the community for generations. Helping a friend cut down some trees initially led Craig’s wife, Janelle, to speculate that there must be an abundance of trees that needed to be removed. She recognized the potential value of processing this material, which led to the idea behind Whitsunday Timber. The business was started strictly as a side project, as Craig works another professional job during the week. “I figured that if I could process three trees a week on my day off, we would make some money and I would enjoy getting outside,” said Craig. According to Craig, starting the business was the easy part. He made partnerships with local tree services that supply free logs in exchange for removal from the site, which substantially reduces disposal costs for these businesses so everyone benefits. The purchase of a Mack rigid truck complete with a crane and the addition of a mounted rotating hydraulic grab and logging bolsters gave Craig the tools he needed to start picking up logs efficiently and bringing them to his facility for sawmilling. Currently, Whitsunday Timber operates out of a rented yard behind a local garden nursery, with 1,000 square meters of unpaved area and no sheds or cover on site. While the Yeomans planned for Whitsunday
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Timber to be a small side business, work has quickly increased as their customer base has rapidly grown from word-of-mouth referrals along with a small social media presence. “I am processing several logs per week at present. Most of this is customer logs, which has been a profitable source of cash flow while I build my own inventory of timber,” said Craig. With about 70 tons of timber in the yard after a short time in the sawmill business, this side project has the potential to be a much bigger operation. The work starts whenever a local tree service rings Craig to ask if he’d like the tree they’ve just cut. In most cases, the log must be removed from the prop-
oped, Whitsunday Timber has carved out a desirable position in the community. Private customers and business clients are turning to Craig to process timber for personal and commercial use. “I have been surprised by the number of people who have a log lying around and are looking for someone to mill it,” said Craig. These one-off logs have become the business’s bread and butter. These private clients choose to salvage logs from their own property on the same day, which warm and inclusive. There’s gum, Moreton Bay ash, and erty for environmental reameans Craig is out picking a family feel in the Wood- ironbark varieties. Mango sons, as well as to use the up logs on his lunch break Mizer community,” shared trees are also milled quite timber to create items that frequently, as the trees or after work at his day job. Craig. will be left to future generaWhile his sawmilling grow large and become Upon returning to the yard, tions. logs are stacked, sealed, and equipment is portable, he problematic in residential Craig shares that half of rarely takes his sawmill to yards. Silky oak, Mackay numbered. the company’s clients are Whitsunday Timber the customer as a log collec- cedar, white cedar, and pink other businesses that use operates a Wood-Mizer tion fee is less of an invest- cedar are also common timber in their lines of LT50WIDE hydraulic port- ment for the customer than woods milled by Whitsunwork. “A local resort had to able sawmill, chosen for a sawmill setup fee. When day Timber, with kauri pine remove several trees for inits processing speed and he’s ready to process, logs and hoop pine occasionally surance reasons, and I am computerized setworks to are moved to the sawmill becoming available. “We milling all of the trees and facilitate fast and efficient using a wheeled loader. will mill anything that has returning them as bearers milling. “I have found the Details of each log are care- a good grain and an appeal and decking timber to reAccuset setworks invalu- fully recorded on a job card for any purpose, from buildplace the aging boardwalks able. No other portable so that information is read- ing to bespoke furniture,” around the property,” said mill in Australia gives me ily available when making said Craig. “[Mango trees] Craig. In addition, some loconvenient and simple cal- marketing decisions and produce stunning furniturecal builders hired Craig to profitability. grade timber.” culation assistance. Once I monitoring mill logs to a certain size "All of our timber is susget going, I don’t have to be It’s not unusual for Craig to before they are sent off to constantly working things stop by the yard around 5:30 tainably sourced from prianother processor to be out. For a guy like me who a.m. and mill a log or two vate customers who want planed, creating vertical tends to rush things or have prior to his workday and his us to mill their logs or from joints and other types of inmultiple things on the go, days off from his full-time local tree services who have ternal cladding timber. it reduces the risk of mis- job are spent processing as cut down a tree for one of Providing a needed commuch timber on the saw- their clients,” said Craig. takes,” said Craig. munity service has certainBefore turning to a Wood- mill as possible. Once the Preorders make up the bulk ly paid off for Whitsunday Mizer portable sawmill, timber is milled, material of of their sales, as milled Timber, as evidenced by the Craig started with a chain- all sizes is labeled, stacked, stock is currently improvcompany’s rapid growth. saw mill. He found it led to and strapped so the drying ing. “It’s all happening faster As the business has develtoo much hard work, which process can begin. Currentthan expected,” said Craig.
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wasn’t feasible in the hot and humid climate. “My experience with Wood-Mizer has been positive. The after sales service has been great and the equipment is fantastic. I have found the Australian distributor to be
ly, Whitsunday Timber sells timber green, but there are plans to install a kiln in the future to provide more value for the customer. Eucalyptus is the company’s main milling timber, which also includes blue
ll of our timber is sustainably sourced from private customers who want us to mill their logs
Australian Forests & Timber News August 2022
www.timberbiz.com.au
