Recycling Timber from Treetops to Tabletops in Sydney

Located in Yagoona, New South Wales, Australia, Bass Mahmood and his team at Aus Arbor use a Wood-Mizer LT15WIDE portable sawmill to recycle trees destined for removal into usable timber. From the start, Aus Arbor has built its reputation on safety first, sustainability, service and customer satisfaction. In addition to providing tree removal services throughout the Sydney area, Aus Arbor turns unwanted trees into slabs that are transformed into beautiful masterpieces by woodworkers.  

Bass and his employees have a passion for the environment, which is why he invested in his LT15WIDE portable sawmill at the start of his business. “We weren’t operating before purchasing a sawmill,” said Bass. “We saw a resource being wasted in cutting trees and chipping them. It was a waste for beautiful timber to be destined for landfill waste or firewood and we decided to invest in a Wood-Mizer sawmill to turn trees into slabs and give them new life.” The business has a unique offering and cares what happens to the trees after they are picked up. The extra effort from Aus Arbor makes a positive impact on their customers. 

“From treetops to tabletops, we respect and appreciate the role trees play in keeping our oxygen filtered from CO2 and harmful gases. That’s why we recycle more than 80% of all the waste we produce. We started sawmilling to become more sustainable to the environment,” said Bass. Getting to see the beautiful pieces of furniture that have been created out of the timber Aus Arbor produces is just another perk of the job. 

Aus Arbor was founded in 2007 and currently has five employees. Much like the start to any business, the company has and still faces difficulties. “We are a young growing business that still has a lot to learn and grow from. We believe in family culture and finding the right fit for our company, and that can take some time,” shared Bass. 

Reducing waste is the biggest driving factor for Aus Arbor. The company stives to have as little waste as possible in all their operations. “Trees are beautiful, and we don't want them to go to waste, we want to turn them into useful timber for generations to come,” said Bass. “We cut trees on a daily basis and we mill them and turn them into sustainable furniture.” For every dry ton of timber produced, 1.8 tons of carbon dioxide are taken from the atmosphere by trees through photosynthesis. From removing the trees to recycling the waste they produce, the company is doing their part in taking care of the environment. 

All trees that are milled on Aus Arbor’s Wood-Mizer LT15WIDE portable sawmill are sourced around Sydney. There is a wide variety of tree species that the business harvests and mills including eucalyptus, Sydney blue gum, camphor laurel, acacia, and more.  

In the production process from tree to log, “Trees are cut and bought back to our recycling facility in Sydney. Logs are transported to the mill where the milling process begins,” said Bass. “Upon completion, slabs are transported to containers for the drying process. Photos and measurements are taken then uploaded online for sale.”

During a typical week, Aus Arbor’s Wood-Mizer sawmill produces between 30 to 50 beautiful wood slabs. They vary anywhere from two meters to four meters in length and up to 900mm wide.

Since Aus Arbor has two different offerings for their business, the main client base for the organization consists of those who enjoy working on do-it-yourself projects and those who need tree removal from their property.  Of course, the more the customer cares about the environment, the easier the sale is for Aus Arbor because of their full-service business plan. 

Currently, they are only milling and selling wood slabs to woodworkers who can create something out of the timber. “We are supplying raw slabs where our customers can turn them into coffee tables, office desks, or dining tables. We find customers enjoy purchasing raw slabs to work on as projects,” shared Bass. While the future may bring expansion, Aus Arbor is happy to provide slabs to customers with a vision for the wood. It pairs perfectly with the organization’s drive to reuse and recycle 100% of the trees they remove. 

By removing trees and taking the time to mill the wood into slabs and timber, Bass and his team are providing opportunities and value for woodworkers to create unique projects with wood that could have been destined for the burn pile. “Wood-Mizer has been great from start to finish. We wouldn’t be able to do what we do without them,” said Bass.