Synergy Reforestation Project

The Synergy Reforestation Project is a large-scale aggregated farm forestry project located across a vast expanse of the Western Australian Wheatbelt and South East Coastal regions. Rather than being a single contiguous property, the project encompasses approximately 6,700 hectares spread over multiple sites. The project area stretches from near Moora and the Victoria Plains in the northern Wheatbelt, down through the central grain-growing regions (Lake Grace/Kulin), and extends significantly into the south-east near Esperance and Salmon Gums. The region is heavily dominated by dryland broadacre agriculture, specifically cropping (wheat, canola) and sheep grazing.

Registered in December 2014, the project operates under the "Measurement Based Methods for New Farm Forestry Plantations" methodology. Unlike standard environmental plantings which are often designed for permanent conservation, this method is tailored for commercial or farm forestry. It allows for the measurement of carbon in plantations that may be managed for timber or biomass harvest, provided specific accounting protocols are followed. The project involves the establishment of permanent plantings of specific Eucalyptus species, including Eucalyptus kochii (Oil Mallee), Eucalyptus polybractea (Blue Mallee), and Eucalyptus camaldulensis (River Red Gum). These species are historically favored in Western Australia for their dual ability to combat dryland salinity through deep root systems and their potential for eucalyptus oil or biomass production.

The environmental conditions across the project sites are typical of the transitional Mediterranean to semi-arid zones of Western Australia. The region generally experiences winter-dominant rainfall ranging from 300mm to 600mm per year, with long, dry summers. The soils are characteristically ancient and deeply weathered, ranging from sandplains and sandy loams to clay duplex soils. Many of the specific locations targeted by this project type are likely marginal agricultural land or areas affected by rising water tables and salinity, which the salt-tolerant Eucalyptus species help to mitigate.

A notable aspect of this project is its proponent, the Electricity Generation and Retail Corporation, trading as Synergy, which is the Western Australian state-owned energy generator and retailer. The project is managed with the Forest Products Commission (FPC) as a participant/agent, highlighting a state-level collaboration to manage land and offset emissions. In June 2017, the project underwent a significant administrative change where the proponent elected to switch the project to a 25-year permanence period. This decision required the relinquishment of nearly 19,000 Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) to the Clean Energy Regulator, a standard penalty for reducing the permanence obligation from the 100-year standard.