Timber Industry

The “cedar getters’ were the first to assess the forests of the Upper Clarence. They lived in rough bark shelters and moved through the forests marking cedar trees for later harvesting. A glut of Cedar and the great depression of the 1890’s saw many harvested logs abandoned on the forest floor.

The first half of the twentieth century saw a mushrooming of timber mills across the region, with 68 small timber mills in the Urbenville, Woodenbong Koreelah region alone. Local landowners milled timber for their own houses on their own property or took it to a neighbor who would be milling timber of landowners within a day’s bullock team hauling distance.

Softwoods such as Hoop pine were needed for housing across the North Coast and Southern Queensland. A vigorous industry developed with timber mills located in every valley that contained suitable trees. Small communities developed around each mill however little trace remains of the once thriving industry.

The only remaining timber mill is Ford Timbers at Urbenville.

Plantations

The new hardwood plantation industry has been developed by State Forests as well as private investors with many landowners taking advantage of joint ventures to secure their farming enterprise through tough economic times and droughts.
In years to come plantations will provide jobs within the timber industry and export dollars for Australia.