Sustainable Timber Tasmania Plantation Conversion Project

Sustainable Timber Tasmania Plantation Conversion Project is a Plantation Forestry project located across the Dorset, George Town, and Launceston City Council areas, approximately 30 to 50km north of Launceston in northern Tasmania. It was registered on March 14, 2019, and currently covers a project area of 234.06 hectares.

Plantation forestry projects under the 2017 methodology involve establishing a new plantation forest, modifying the management of an existing plantation, or converting a short-rotation plantation to a long-rotation one. This specific project sequesters carbon by converting an existing short-rotation plantation forest into a long-rotation plantation intended for the commercial harvesting of wood products. By extending the harvest cycle, carbon remains stored in the trees and the resulting harvested wood products for a significantly longer period.

The northern Tasmania region is characterised by a cool, temperate climate with high rainfall. The soils in this local area generally range from silty sandy loams to sandy clay loams, with some areas featuring fertile basalt-derived soils and podzols. Surrounding land use within these council areas is a mix of extensive forestry operations, agricultural activities such as sheep and cattle grazing, intensive cropping, and vineyards.

The project is driven by Forestry Tasmania (which trades as Sustainable Timber Tasmania), with CO2 Australia Pty Ltd also listed as a key project participant. In November 2021, the project area underwent a variation where specific land areas originally listed were removed from the final project footprint.