WeAct Forest Aggregation project 1

WeAct Forest Aggregation project 1 is a commercial plantation forestry project located in the Green Triangle region of Western Victoria. The project aggregates multiple forest plots across the Glenelg Shire, with specific sites situated near the rural towns of Dartmoor and Casterton, approximately 40 to 50 kilometers east of the major regional center of Mount Gambier. Registered on July 27, 2020, the project covers a total area of 574.90 hectares.

The project operates under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative, Plantation Forestry) Methodology Determination 2017. Specifically, it utilizes the "conversion from short-term to long-term rotation" activity. In this context, the project shifts the forest management strategy from harvesting trees on short cycles for lower-value products like pulpwood (paper) to growing them for longer periods to produce higher-value sawlogs (structural timber). This extension of the rotation period allows the trees to sequester carbon for a significantly longer duration both in the forest and subsequently in long-lived wood products.

The Green Triangle is one of Australia’s premier forestry regions, characterized by a cool Mediterranean climate with reliable high rainfall (typically 600mm to 850mm annually). The local environment features soils often derived from limestone (Karst) or basalt, ranging from sandy loams to clay, which are ideal for supporting the deep root systems of Pinus radiata (radiata pine) and Eucalyptus globulus (blue gum).

An interesting facet of this project is its establishment phase; proponent WeAct Pty Ltd noted that operations began in mid-2020 with the planting of approximately 200,000 seedlings. These trees were planted on land previously considered degraded or fallow, with the aim of sequestering approximately 45,000 tonnes of carbon over the project's life while simultaneously cooling the local microclimate and stabilizing soil health.