Forests Alive: Protection of Tasmanian Native Forest

Forests Alive: Protection of Tasmanian Native Forest is an Improved Forest Management (IFM) project located across multiple private landholdings in Tasmania. While the project sites are dispersed throughout the state, including areas near Port Sorell in the north and the Huon Valley in the south, a significant portion of the aggregation is situated in the Central Highlands and Midlands regions, roughly 80km to 100km north-west of Hobart. The project was registered under the Australian Carbon Credit Unit (ACCU) scheme in April 2015, transitioning from the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS), and covers a total project area of approximately 29,981 hectares.

The project operates under the Carbon Farming Initiative-Designated Verified Carbon Standard Projects methodology. This specific determination was designed to allow early voluntary action projects, originally accredited under international standards like the VCS (now Verra), to transition into the Australian Government's emissions reduction compliance market. The core activity involves protecting native forests on private land that were historically zoned for logging. By legally preventing the harvesting of timber, the project avoids the emissions associated with logging and processing, thereby generating carbon credits for the stored biomass.

The environmental context of the project varies due to its dispersed nature, but the primary Central Highlands and Midlands sites are characterized by a cool temperate climate. Rainfall in these regions ranges from moderate in the Midlands (approx. 500-600mm) to high in the Central Highlands (exceeding 1000mm annually). The soils are diverse, featuring fertile Ferrosols and Dermosols that support dense stands of native Eucalypt forest. These forests provide critical habitat for endangered wildlife, including the Tasmanian Devil, Spotted Quoll, and Wedge-tailed Eagle.

An interesting feature of this project is its history as a pioneer in the Australian carbon market; it was one of the first projects in Australia to be accredited under the Verified Carbon Standard before transitioning to the national scheme. The project successfully completed a major carbon abatement contract (CAC680735) with the Australian Government in August 2024. By providing landholders with an alternative revenue stream to timber harvesting, the project has demonstrated a commercially viable model for private forest conservation.