Forests Alive: Protection of Tasmanian Native Forest

Forests Alive: Protection of Tasmanian Native Forest is a native forest protection project located across multiple private properties in Tasmania, spanning geographically from near Deloraine in the north down to the Huon Valley south of Hobart. It was registered in April 2015 and covers an extensive area of 29,981.43 hectares.

The project operates under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative-Designated Verified Carbon Standard Projects) Methodology Determination 2015. This methodology facilitates projects originally established under the international Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) prior to June 2014 to transition seamlessly into the Australian carbon crediting scheme. The primary project activities involve protecting existing native forests situated on private land from scheduled harvesting or commercial logging operations.

Tasmania's environment is largely characterized by a cool temperate climate. Rainfall across these widespread project sites ranges from moderate in the central Midlands to high rainfall in the southern and western boundaries. Soils similarly vary across the land parcels, predominantly consisting of fertile loams in the river valleys, alongside dolerite-derived clays and podzols in the highlands and eastern tiers. The typical regional land use in these scattered areas encompasses a mix of sheep and cattle grazing, nature conservation, and commercial forestry.

An interesting note about this project is its successful contracting history with the Australian Government. The proponent, Forests Alive Pty Ltd, secured a fixed-delivery carbon abatement contract in the April 2015 auction. The contract successfully reached completion in August 2024 after the project delivered 761,995 tonnes of abatement to the Commonwealth. Additionally, the project underwent a boundary variation in August 2017. Certain parcels of land were removed from this project and transferred to the now-revoked Lake Echo project, which prompted a voluntary relinquishment of 56 Kyoto Australian Carbon Credit Units prior to that project's ultimate revocation.