Two warm, big smiles greet you as the delightful smell of rich, native timber hits you like an axe, when Ross and Ginneth Pershouse welcome you to their small timber mill just north of Bundaberg.
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"We can't even smell it anymore," laughs the couple that own and operate timber harvesting and sawmill, Pershouse Timber Company.
And that is understandable, Ross has been involved with cutting timber since he was a boy, so the man knows how to wield a chainsaw.
"I've been doing this all my life," he said.
"The old man had us snigging (dragging cut logs) when I was about eight years old, so we were up in the hills driving tractors snigging logs out."
After harvesting and cutting timber for years, Mr Pershouse had grown slightly impassive to the industry, but five years ago his wife Ginneth became involved, working side-by-side with him as they cut trees, processed the wood, and her enthusiasm has infused new energy and excitement in the business.
The timing was perfect, as demand for timber has exploded in the last few years, with shortages driven by the COVID stimulus packages, housing construction boom and an appreciation for using timber as a feature in homes.
Some in the building industry have gone so far as to predict Australia will remain short on timber until 2035 and beyond.
"It's been really good actually, it's been quite busy," he said.
"It's the building trade and people moving up from down south, there is a lot of migration into Queensland.
"Hardwood is a rare commodity, down south they are shutting down forestry and that will soon happen here."
The couple produce decking timber from eucalyptus hardwoods like spotted gum, ironbark stringybark and gummed-top box, but focus on paddocks with spotted gums as they are less likely to contain defects such as grub holes and bends.
Little is wasted and wood unable to be transformed into boards are used for fencing posts and stakes, with the remainder utilised in sawdust to maintain the timber drying kilns.
The Pershouses' also strive to preserve the environment and make as little impact as possible on the land they harvest trees.
"If you went in there immediately, you might just notice we have been there," he said.
"But in a couple of years time all the regrowth has grown and you can't tell at all that we have been there.
"We drain our tracks so they don't wash out, make sure everything is looked after when we leave, you want to do the right thing by the environment."
Will the busy times last?
The small harvesting and sawmill operation employs three workers, as well as the couple.
Nationally the industry has faced closures of mills and obstacles with changing rules around logging native forest and labour shortages, but Mr Pershouse is just staying focused on keeping his customers happy while the demand is there.
"It is a very hard thing to cut a hardwood log up, that's why the industry probably has dwindled over the years," he said.
"Because we do the logging and organise all the logs and then cut it up, we have a very good product, we see it from the start to the end and waste very little.
"Maybe with interest rates going up it might have a difference and demand will slow down, but we just don't know, we are making the most of it while it is going well."
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