Rethinking Logging in Australia

Logging has an interesting place in our history and culture across the world. At various points in history, after the 18th century at least, it has been responsible for some of the biggest economic booms, and driving colonialism in the Americas, Australia and parts of Africa. While we aren’t here to discuss the merits and obvious downsides of colonialism, these countries wouldn’t be what they are had the logging industry not been so equitable and profitable at one point in history.

We have this somewhat romanticized view of logging, as it was a very dangerous and labor-intensive industry at the time. Back then, too-person hand sols, hatchets and the like were about all people had to fell a tree. Then, branches would have to be removed, strange deformities would have to be shaved off, and then massive trunk logs would have to be shipped via barge, train, and later, tractor-trailer. Some logging is still done this way, but there are better ways. This produced a lot of waste, because those “one-size-fits-all” logs sent to processing facilities were often ground down, a lot of the wood wasted when cutting chunks to make various different things.

A modern chain saw mill and Australia is a very different sort of thing. When you think about an Alaskan mill in Australia, this may confuse you a little bit. Alaska and Australia couldn’t be much further apart geographically if they tried. However, these places have a lot in common both in the pioneering spirit, heartiness of the people and the prevalence of the logging industry. They are also equally treacherous as far as nature and climate goes, albeit very different kinds of treacherous.

Rethinking Wood

towards the end of the 20th century, logging was frowned upon, and there are still a lot of problems with it in many places. Deforestation is still a major issue, but this isn’t the only way to harvest wood. With responsible planting, limited harvesting and smarter ways to cut and process the wood, deforestation is absolutely unnecessary.

Wood is also a renewable resource, not involving the same byproducts, carbon footprint and waste that synthetic materials create, making it actually one of the more ecologically-sound materials to work with.

What is a chain saw mill?

Believe it or not, these will seem obvious in retrospect, but they are quite an innovation. Basically, chainsaw mills are portable, re-settable jigs with chainsaws of adjustable gauge, power and chain style which allow felled trees to be cut into smaller, more manageable chunks. A major part of the log processing is handled on-site, reducing the difficulty of shipping, and allowing for more of the tree to be used, since larger branches can actually be used rather than wasted.

They are safe, affordable and much easier to choose viable sites, meaning that the operations can move from site to site without taking too big of a toll on the local environment. If you are running a large or small logging operation, you owe it to yourself to look into using a chain saw mill Australia, especially an Alaskan mill Australia.