Harvey Pine project 2018

Harvey Pine project 2018 is a plantation forestry project located in the Chowerup and Tonebridge region of Western Australia, approximately 65km east of Manjimup and 50km southeast of Boyup Brook. Registered in May 2018, the project encompasses a significant area of roughly 3,041 hectares. The surrounding region is part of the state's intensive agricultural zone, characterized by a mix of livestock grazing (sheep and cattle) and commercial timber plantations, particularly blue gum and radiata pine.

The project operates under the Plantation Forestry methodology, which credits abatement achieved by establishing new plantation forests or changing the management of existing ones to store more carbon. Specifically, this project involves establishing new plantations and converting existing short-rotation plantations (typically harvested quickly for woodchips) into long-rotation plantations. This extension allows the trees to mature into high-quality sawlogs, sequestering carbon for a longer period before harvest.

Environmentally, the site sits within a Mediterranean climate zone, featuring cool, wet winters and warm, dry summers. The area typically receives moderate-to-high rainfall sufficient to support forestry operations. The soil landscape in this part of the Great Southern and South West regions is dominated by lateritic gravels and sandy loams, often found on undulating plateaus and upland flats. These "gravelling upland" soils are well-suited for forestry, particularly Pinus radiata, as they provide good drainage compared to the waterlogged clays found in some lower-lying adjacent areas.

The project proponent is The Trust Company (Australia) Limited acting as trustee for the Forestry Investment Trust (FIT). FIT is an investment vehicle managed by New Forests, a global investment manager specializing in nature-based real assets. Interestingly, reports from major investors in FIT, such as the Alberta Investment Management Corporation (AIMCo), have highlighted that shifting strategies toward long-term asset value can help mitigate volatility in short-term pulpwood markets, aligning financial resilience with the carbon sequestration goals of this project.