Woodside Native Reforestation Project - Phase 2

Woodside Native Reforestation Project - Phase 2 is a large-scale environmental planting project located in the Shire of Dandaragan, approximately 20km southeast of the town of Badgingarra and 180km north of Perth, Western Australia. Registered in August 2020, the project encompasses a significant area of 3,696 hectares. The region is situated on the Dandaragan Plateau, an area historically utilized for broadacre agriculture, specifically grazing and cropping, which characterizes the land use prior to the project's implementation.

The project operates under the "Reforestation by Environmental or Mallee Plantings" methodology. This involves establishing permanent plantings of mixed native tree species on land that has been clear of forest for at least five years. Unlike commercial forestry, the primary goal here is carbon sequestration and biodiversity enhancement rather than timber harvest. The methodology generally requires planting at a density sufficient to achieve forest cover (typically a minimum of 200 stems per hectare, though often higher for biodiversity outcomes) and uses the FullCAM model to estimate the carbon stored in the growing trees over a 25 or 100-year period.

Environmentally, the Dandaragan region experiences a Mediterranean climate with cool, wet winters and hot, dry summers, receiving an average annual rainfall of approximately 500-600mm. The soil composition in this specific area is typical of the Dandaragan Plateau, dominated by deep sands, gravelly sands, and lateritic soils (often referred to as sandplain). These conditions support the diverse "Kwongan" heath and woodland vegetation native to the area, which the project aims to restore.

This project is a component of Woodside Energy’s broader corporate offsetting strategy, designed to manage emissions obligations under the Safeguard Mechanism and their internal net-zero targets. The "Phase 2" designation indicates it is part of a multi-stage portfolio; Woodside has collaborated with organizations like Greening Australia to execute these plantings, often focusing on co-benefits such as creating habitat for the endangered Carnaby’s Black Cockatoo and providing employment for local Indigenous ranger groups.