Wespine Carbon Plantations

Wespine Carbon Plantations is a commercial plantation forestry project located across multiple sites in the South West region of Western Australia, with key areas situated near the towns of Dardanup, Bridgetown, and Boddington. Registered in April 2018, the project currently covers approximately 2,420 hectares. It is operated by Wespine Industries, a major softwood producer jointly owned by Wesfarmers and Fletcher Building, which runs a large sawmill in Dardanup.

The project operates under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative, Plantation Forestry) Methodology Determination 2022, having transitioned from the 2017 method in August 2025. This methodology allows forestry operators to earn Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) by either establishing new plantation forests on land previously used for agriculture or by converting existing short-rotation plantations to long-rotation schedules. In this specific project, Wespine is undertaking both activities: establishing new Pinus radiata (radiata pine) plantations and extending the harvest cycles of existing trees to increase the volume of carbon stored in the wood before it is processed into structural timber.

The project area lies within Western Australia's "Golden Triangle" for forestry, a region characterized by a Mediterranean climate with high winter rainfall, ideal for rapid softwood growth. The terrain typically consists of the Darling Plateau's lateritic gravels and sandy loams, which provide well-drained soil structures essential for pine cultivation. The surrounding region is heavily utilized for forestry, dairy farming, and grazing, alongside bauxite mining operations. Wespine's plantations are strategically located to supply their Dardanup sawmill, which produces timber for the Western Australian housing and construction market.