TREVOR Harding has been heavily involved in the logging industry for more than four decades but the manager and co-owner of the Uki Sawmill says he "sleeps soundly" every night, believing he is not "raping and pillaging our natural resources".

"We've taken out a lot of hardwood trees in my time in the game but it has always been my aim, and that of the loggers that I've worked with, to keep the bush looking healthy," Mr Harding said.

"The bush is our living and I'd like to think that we look after our bush."

The Uki Sawmill is the last remaining sawmill in the Tweed Valley and has been operating at its Smiths Creek Rd site since 1955, when Harry Whorley opened the mill to manufacture heavy-duty hardwood banana cases.

"Terry Falks took over the banana case operation from Harry in the late '60s and then my brothers, Barry and Paul, bought the business in October 1980," Mr Harding explained.

"We continued producing banana cases for about 12 months before switching to cutting structural timbers."

The Uki Sawmill is part of the Harding Brothers group of companies - the trio also operates Hardings Earth Moving, Terragon Mobile Crushing and stone quarries at Uki and Murwillumbah.

Mr Harding holds the reins at the sawmill and Paul and Barry run the other businesses.

Timber has always been part of the Harding brothers' lives, with all three following their father, Alf, into the game.

Alf Harding was a real jack of all trades - he was a fencer, logger, banana grower and dairyman.

"Dad was involved with the Uki Sawmill from the very beginning, supplying logs to Harry Whorley as soon as he set up the mill in '55," Mr Harding said.

"Barry started working at the mill during school holidays and then Paul and I got into the business by joining Dad logging in the bush, supplying the Uki Sawmill with logs.

"When we bought the mill from Terry we put in a succession of managers to run the business and then I took over running the place about 2004.

"My partner, Jules Myers, looks after the administration and we're fortunate to have four experienced and trustworthy blokes working out in the mill itself, which allows me time to get out into the field to source timber.

"Generally landowners contact us to suss out about logging standing timbers on their properties.

"I visit the site to assess the amount of timber which can be harvested, negotiate a price and then, if we get the go-ahead, we build an access road into the area, employ contractors to fell and lop the timbers and then transport the logs to our mill."

Once the logs arrive at the Uki Sawmill, nothing gets away.

"The logs are cut into boards and any waste timber from the logs is used to make round fence posts or cut into firewood, which we also market," Mr Harding said.

"The sawdust is sold to chook farms and most of the shavings end up as bedding in horse stalls - we don't waste a thing."

Despite a lifetime working with timber, Mr Harding still "gets a kick" out of his job.

"I just love what I do. Being in the bush has always been a passion - I can't see me giving this away any time soon."