The Soviet Union attempted to diversify it into textiles but that industry, which employed many of the town's 20,000 people, all but collapsed with the demise of central planning and state subsidies.
Today the only sound disturbing the rural calm is that of chain-saws in small makeshift sawmills which have proliferated on the fringes of the town to process timber, most of which is logged without licence in nearby forests.
Supplying logs -- "stealing wood" as the residents call it -- to the sawmills is a thriving business.
It also gives Yenyutin one of his biggest headaches, spiriting away able-bodied men resentful of his attempts to instil some company discipline.
"Yevgeny, you are a great guy, but you hate me drinking at work and you make me work shifts. I would be better off stealing wood," is a phrase which the 38-year-old entrepreneur says he hears far too often from his departing staff.
"It is really hard to motivate people who stop caring about things once they get enough money to buy a bottle of vodka," he said with a sigh.
RSS