Evercreech Plantation Forestry Project

The Evercreech Plantation Forestry Project is a plantation forestry project located in the rural locality of Evercreech in northeast Tasmania. Situated approximately 10 kilometers north of the town of Mathinna and roughly 25 kilometers from Fingal, the project sits within the Break O'Day Council area. Registered in December 2017, the project encompasses an area of approximately 1,180 hectares. The region is well-known for its forestry heritage, with the project site lying in close proximity to the Evercreech Forest Reserve, famous for its "White Knights", the world's tallest white gums.

The project operates under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative, Plantation Forestry) Methodology Determination 2017. Specifically, it involves converting an existing short-rotation plantation forest, typically harvested every 10 to 15 years for woodchips or pulp, into a long-rotation plantation. By extending the harvest cycle (often to 25 years or more) and managing the trees for higher-quality sawlogs or structural timber, the project allows the trees to grow larger and store carbon for a longer duration. Standard requirements for this activity include active management practices such as thinning and pruning to ensure the development of high-quality timber suitable for construction and furniture.

The environment in this part of northeast Tasmania is characterized by a cool temperate climate with moderate to high rainfall, generally exceeding 800mm annually, which is ideal for rapid tree growth. The landscape features rolling hills and valleys with soils typically derived from sedimentary rocks or granite, often presenting as sandy loams or clay loams. While the broader Fingal Valley supports grazing and agriculture, the immediate vicinity of Evercreech is heavily utilized for commercial timber production, dominated by species such as Eucalyptus nitens (Shining Gum) or Eucalyptus globulus (Blue Gum).

This project is part of the extensive Tasmanian estate managed by Forico, Tasmania’s largest private forest management company. Forico acts as the asset manager for the proponent, The Trust Company (Australia) Limited (Trustee for the Tasmanian Forest Operating Sub Trust), which is an investment vehicle managed by New Forests. The transition from short to long rotation not only generates carbon credits but also aims to produce higher-value wood products, supporting a shift away from purely commodity-based pulpwood production.