Built on quality. Trusted for delivery.
A high-performance arboriculture contractor with the systems, expertise, and capability to deliver projects to civil and infrastructure specifications.
Our story
How Big Timber came to be.
Big Timber Tree Services was founded by Josh O’Rourke, a climbing arborist with over 20 years of experience across Ireland and Australia, and Niamh O’Connor, a safety advisor who built her career working with Tier 1 and Tier 2 civil contractors across Brisbane. Josh had spent years delivering elite arboricultural work for some of Queensland’s largest companies, developing a clear vision for what a truly professional, civil-standard arborist business could look like.
Niamh brought deep expertise in safety management and project administration from the civil construction sector, giving Big Timber the operational backbone to match that vision from day one. Together, they built the business from the ground up to serve commercial clients properly.
Based in Brisbane and operating across Queensland, Big Timber has grown into a principal contractor for Gladstone Regional Council and the City of Moreton Bay, with a proven track record across civil construction, defence, utilities and infrastructure projects.
Our approach
Why we do things differently.
Protecting Your Project Programme
Delays caused by undertrained or underprepared contractors cost time and money. We make sure that’s never the reason your programme slips.
Elevating Industry Standards
As an executive board member of the QAA, Josh is actively working to lift professional standards across the sector, not just within our business.
Building a Team Worth Trusting
We pay above award, invest in training and build a crew culture where people genuinely care about the quality and safety of their work.
Doing It Right, Not Just Getting It Done
From permits and fauna spotting to sediment controls and daily pre-starts, we build compliance into the job, not onto it as an afterthought.
A small business in size. A Tier 1 operation in every standard that actually matters on site.
What we stand for on every site.
Accountability From the Top Down
Josh and Niamh are hands-on in every project. When something needs to be done, the people responsible for this business are the ones making sure it happens properly.
Train Them, Don't Blame Them
We invest in our people before they get on site. Every crew member is inducted, trained and supported to do their job safely and to a high standard.
Transparency in Everything We Do
We tell you what’s achievable, what the constraints are and what to expect. No surprises on site and no excuses after the fact.
Environmental Responsibility as Standard
We care about what we’re working in. Fauna spotting, sediment controls and environmental management plans are part of every job, not add-ons for audits.
Two people. One standard.
Big Timber is led by two experienced professionals who bring together the best of arboriculture and civil construction, holding each other and the business to the same high standard on every project.
Josh O'Rourke
Josh has over 20 years of arboricultural experience across Ireland and Queensland, with a specialisation in complex, high-risk removals, crane-assisted work and precision pruning in sensitive environments. He sits on the executive board of the Queensland Arboricultural Association and is widely respected by the civil contractors and councils he works alongside. Everything Big Timber stands for starts with Josh on the tools.
Niamh O'Connor
Niamh built her safety career working alongside Tier 1 and Tier 2 civil contractors across Brisbane. She manages all safety documentation, environmental planning, permit coordination and project administration for Big Timber. Her civil background means she understands what principal contractors need before they need to ask for it, and she makes sure every site is set up right from the first day of mobilisation.