For years, Tasmania's forest sector was marred by conflict, contraction and change.
Now, timber is back in fashion, demand from interstate is growing and Tasmanian processors are starting to cash in.
Tasmania's forestry industry and the families who worked in it were pushed to the brink by the high Australian dollar, conservation protests, bad investment, and corporate collapse.
Now there are signs of growth in the industry.
"We've had companies call up that are processing in Victoria wanting to know how much we cut a year and virtually saying we would be happy to take everything you are able to cut," sawmiller Matthew Torenius said.
Timber is being looked at in new ways, said architect Robert Morris-Nunn.
"Yes, it's starting to happen, we're on the cusp of a substantial change in the way people think," he said.
He's talking about tall buildings not just featuring timber … but being constructed from it.
"Practically all the major buildings that are happening in Sydney and Melbourne, commercial buildings, where you're up to about 20 storeys …it's all timber," said Mr Morris-Nunn.
Oakdale Industries provides work opportunities for people with a disability.
John Hollis, Oakdale's divisional manager said residential builds, commercial builds and renovations are all driving demand.
"We have seen, in the month of August, a 40 per cent increase in our sales revenue due to that demand," he said.
"Decorative timbers such as flooring, wall panelling, in all different timber species, is very much in high demand."
While there is concern about the State Government's "unlocking the forests" rhetoric, a recent survey of forest employers more than half of business owners said they expected demand to grow in the coming year.
"If you look at tourism, if you look at all the things Tasmania does well, there's a certain exclusivity around that product, the forestry industry has to be the same," Mr Torenius said.
