North Stirling Downs Project

North Stirling Downs Project is a permanent mixed-species environmental planting project located in the North Stirlings region near Gnowangerup, approximately 100km north of Albany and 350km south-east of Perth in Western Australia. It was registered in July 2020 and covers an area of 198.23 hectares.

Environmental planting projects under the Reforestation by Environmental or Mallee Plantings methodology involve establishing permanent plantings of a mix of native tree species. These plantings must occur on land that was predominantly used for agricultural purposes for at least five years prior to project commencement, with the aim of achieving permanent forest cover.

The Gnowangerup and North Stirlings region is known for broadacre mixed farming, including cropping (such as wheat, barley, and canola) and Merino sheep grazing. The area typically experiences a Mediterranean climate with around 300 to 350mm of predominantly winter rainfall. Soils across the property are highly variable, ranging from sandy duplex soils to sand over gravel or clay, as well as red and grey clays.

This project was established by Wayne and Jody Pech on their 13,000-hectare mixed farming enterprise, North Stirling Downs, which has been operated by the Pech family since 1961. The Pech family initiated this carbon project as part of a 10-year plan to plant 100 hectares of native trees each year. Their ultimate goal is to achieve carbon neutrality for their farm business by 2030, and they intend to hold the Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) generated by the project to offset their own future emissions. While initially partnered with AgCarbon 2020 Pty Ltd, the project's participant details were updated in August 2025 to solely reflect North Stirling Downs Pty Ltd. A variation in September 2024 also saw some specific areas removed from the overall project area.