Max Waters Reforestation Project 1

Max Waters Reforestation Project 1 is a carbon abatement project located in the North-Eastern Wheatbelt region of Western Australia. The project is an aggregation of planting sites spread across the Shires of Mukinbudin, Perenjori, and Yilgarn. The specific sites are situated approximately 15 to 30 kilometers from the town of Mukinbudin and near the township of Perenjori. Registered in August 2014, the project covers a total area of approximately 1,295 hectares.

The region is characterized by broadacre dryland agriculture, predominantly winter cropping (wheat and canola) and sheep grazing. It sits within a semi-arid climate zone, typically receiving low annual rainfall between 300mm and 400mm. The landscape features ancient, weathered soils ranging from sandplains to heavier loams and clays, often overlaying granite sub-structures. A significant environmental driver for planting in this area is the mitigation of dryland salinity; deep-rooted mallee trees help lower the saline water table, protecting the adjacent agricultural land.

The project operates under the Reforestation by Environmental or Mallee Plantings - FullCAM methodology. This framework rewards the establishment of native tree species on land previously cleared for agriculture. Specifically, this project focuses on "Mallee" species, such as Eucalyptus kochii, Eucalyptus loxophleba (York Gum), and Eucalyptus polybractea, which are uniquely adapted to the harsh, dry conditions of the Wheatbelt. Unlike standard environmental plantings which are often strictly permanent conservation forests, mallee plantings under this method can be designed to be compatible with sustainable harvesting (coppicing) for eucalyptus oil production, provided specific carbon accounting rules are followed to ensure net sequestration.

An interesting aspect of this project is its connection to the proponent, Fasera Estates, and the participant, Kochii Eucalyptus Oil Pty Ltd. These entities run an integrated business model where trees are grown for carbon credits, eucalyptus oil, and biochar. The trees are often harvested via coppicing (cutting the stems while leaving the root system intact), which stimulates vigorous regrowth and allows the tree to continue sequestering carbon while producing biomass for oil distillation. The project is named in honor of Max Waters, a pioneer of reforestation in the WA Wheatbelt who advocated for the use of trees to rehabilitate degraded low-rainfall farmland. In 2017, the project formally transitioned to a 25-year permanence period, a strategic operational choice that required the relinquishment of a portion of previously issued credits to align with the shorter obligation timeframe.