Success story for Fumina South mill

The area has a population of only about 50 people but Fumina South can boast a business success story that is growing jobs in an area where employment opportunities aren’t plentiful.

Taylers Timber’s sawmill doesn’t catch the eye of too many people.

It is in the hills about midway between Noojee and Hill End and not too much traffic goes past.

But inside the mill, where 10 permanent staff and others engaged when additional contracts are won, it is a hive of activity.

Principal David Tayler said the business, started about 20 years ago, was growing each year.

Producing garden stakes accounts for about half of the mill’s production.

Over a four-month period last year it turned out 480,000 timber stakes to an almond plantation in northern Victoria, providing work for an extra 12 people during that time.

Last year it also supplied 140,000 tree stakes for coal mine offset projects near Gunnedah in NSW and one-million tree guard stakes to help revegetate land along highways and for other environmental projects.

About 4000 cubic metres of low grade saw logs is sourced by Taylers from VicForests each year and nothing goes to waste.

The timber from 15 trees can be used to make stakes to support 30,000 new trees planted, Mr Tayler said.

The mill also produces fence posts, rails and pallets while sawdust and woodchips waste go to dairy and chicken farms and horse stables.

Mr Tayler said all staff employed were from Baw Baw Shire or the Latrobe Valley.

VicForests commercial timber manager Bruce McTavish said Taylers Timber was an example of the value of the native timber industry that contributes thousands of jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars to regional Victoria each year.