AKD-1

AKD-1 is a plantation forestry project located across the Corangamite, Glenelg, and Southern Grampians local government areas in south-western Victoria, with plantation parcels situated throughout the Green Triangle and Otway regions near the towns of Colac and Hamilton. It was registered in May 2020 and covers an area of 930.05 hectares.

Plantation forestry projects generate carbon credits by either establishing a new plantation forest or converting an existing short-rotation plantation to a long-rotation forest. Under this methodology, standard requirements stipulate that projects must prove the plantation is actively managed for the commercial harvesting of wood products, while adhering to management guidelines around stocking density, weed control, and demonstrating additionality.

The region surrounding the project is heavily utilized for commercial forestry, dairy farming, and livestock grazing. The environmental conditions in the Otways and Green Triangle are exceptionally well-suited for softwood pine plantations, featuring a temperate climate characterized by high annual rainfall. The soils across these regions are generally highly fertile, typically consisting of volcanic loams, sandy loams, and clay loams.

The project proponent, Associated Kiln Driers Pty Limited (trading as AKD Softwoods), is a 100% Australian-owned integrated forestry and timber processing company. Founded in 1955 and headquartered in Colac, the company manages over 10,000 hectares of radiata pine plantations and processes over a million cubic metres of timber annually. The AKD-1 project sequesters carbon by converting an existing short-rotation plantation forest into a long-rotation plantation, alongside establishing new plantation areas. Since its registration, the project has undergone several administrative updates, including project area variations in 2022, a participant name transfer from Landari Pty Ltd to Associated Kiln Driers in 2024, and a formal project name update from "Landari AKD 1" to "AKD 1" in March 2026.