CNCF Biodiverse Sandalwood

CNCF Biodiverse Sandalwood is a farm forestry project located in the Shire of Mount Marshall near the town of Bencubbin, approximately 300km northeast of Perth in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia. It was registered in April 2018 and covers a project area of 887.65 hectares.

The project operates under the Measurement Based Methods for New Farm Forestry Plantations methodology. This method involves establishing and maintaining new farm forestry plantings on land that has been previously cleared and used for agricultural purposes. Carbon sequestration is calculated by directly measuring the carbon stored in the new tree growth over time. Under this framework, trees can be planted in block configurations or in alley farming arrangements, such as protective shelterbelts.

The Wheatbelt region surrounding the project is predominantly used for broadacre dryland agriculture, primarily focusing on winter grain cropping and livestock grazing, including sheep and cattle. The local environment features a low-rainfall, semi-arid climate, typically receiving around 330 mm of rainfall annually. The soils in the eastern Wheatbelt area are often sandy, naturally acidic Wodjil soils, which generally possess moderate to low agricultural capacity and are highly susceptible to wind erosion.

This project was established by Regenerate Australia Ltd (formerly known as the Carbon Neutral Charitable Fund, or CNCF) to assist landowners in restoring native woodlands while diversifying their agricultural income. The project activities focus on planting native Australian sandalwood (Santalum spicatum) alongside local host trees and shrubs, particularly Acacia species, which are necessary for the parasitic sandalwood to thrive. The carbon rights are acquired to claim Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs), which offset the cost of planting. In exchange, participating farmers retain the commercial rights to sustainably harvest the sandalwood timber and sandalwood nuts after a 30-year period. In June 2021, a variation was officially made to the project to add new areas to the planting footprint.