Sustainable Timber Tasmania Plantation Conversion Project

Sustainable Timber Tasmania Plantation Conversion Project is a plantation forestry project located across dispersed sites in North East Tasmania, with key areas situated near the towns of Scottsdale, Ringarooma, and Bridport. Registered on March 14, 2019, the project covers approximately 234 hectares within the Dorset, George Town, and Launceston City Council areas.

This project operates under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative, Plantation Forestry) Methodology Determination 2017. Specifically, it involves converting existing plantation forests from a "short-term rotation" (typically grown for pulpwood and harvested every 10-15 years) to a "long-term rotation" (grown for high-quality sawlogs). This transition requires active silvicultural management, such as thinning and pruning, to encourage the growth of larger, straighter trees. By extending the harvest cycle, the trees remain in the ground longer, sequestering more carbon over time compared to the original baseline.

The North East region of Tasmania is a premier forestry hub, characterized by a cool temperate climate with reliable, high rainfall, often exceeding 800mm to 1000mm annually in productive zones. The area is known for its diverse geology, ranging from fertile red Ferrosols (kraznozems) around Scottsdale, which are highly valued for agriculture and forestry, to granitic texture-contrast soils common in the wider region.

The project is managed by Sustainable Timber Tasmania (STT), a Tasmanian Government Business Enterprise, with CO2 Australia acting as a participant/agent. In November 2021, the project underwent a variation where certain areas were removed from the project definition. Beyond generating carbon credits, the shift to long-rotation sawlogs supports the production of structural timber. This provides a secondary climate benefit, as carbon remains stored in the wood products used in construction long after the trees are harvested.