Newmont Australia Reforestation Project

Newmont Australia Reforestation Project is a reforestation and afforestation project located across parcels of land in Western Australia and New South Wales, with specific registered areas situated in the Parkes local government area near Trundle, approximately 50km northwest of Parkes in central-western NSW. Registered in May 2013, the exact project area size and coordinates are officially suppressed on the public register under section 169 of the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative) Act 2011.

The methodology used is the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative) (Reforestation and Afforestation) Methodology Determination 2013. This method involves establishing permanent forest cover on land that has been previously used for agricultural purposes, such as grazing or cropping, for at least five years. Standard requirements dictate that the planted native trees must have the potential to reach at least two meters in height and achieve a crown cover of at least 20% across the project area.

The central-western NSW region around Trundle is predominantly used for dryland agriculture, focusing heavily on wheat and canola cropping, alongside sheep and cattle grazing. The region experiences a semi-arid climate with highly variable, low annual rainfall averaging around 450-500mm, making it historically drought-prone. The soils in this area are generally hard-setting red-brown earths, including Chromosols and Kandosols, which can sometimes be affected by surface acidity and sodicity.

Managed by CO2 Australia on behalf of the proponent, Newmont Goldcorp Australia Pty Ltd, this project established permanent plantings of Eucalyptus polybractea (Blue Mallee) trees. These plantings were established to help capture and store atmospheric carbon dioxide, generating Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) as part of Newmont's broader sustainability and carbon emission offset strategies across its operations.