LANDARI AKD-4 (Revoked)

Landari AKD-4 (Revoked) was a Plantation Forestry project located approximately 20km northeast of Casterton in the Glenelg Shire of Western Victoria. Registered in May 2021, the project covered an area of 359.2 hectares. This region, often referred to as part of the "Green Triangle," is a major hub for forestry and agriculture, characterized by rolling hills utilized for grazing sheep and cattle alongside extensive softwood and hardwood plantations.

The project operated under the Plantation Forestry methodology, specifically focusing on the conversion of a short-rotation plantation to a long-rotation one. In this context, "short-rotation" typically refers to trees grown for woodchip or pulp (harvested every 10-15 years), while "long-rotation" involves managing trees for sawlogs (harvested after 25-30+ years) to produce structural timber. By extending the growth cycle, the project aimed to sequester more carbon in the trees themselves and store that carbon for decades in long-lived wood products like housing frames, rather than short-lived paper products.

Environmentally, the Casterton region is well-suited for forestry, lying within a high-rainfall zone that typically receives over 650mm annually. The soils in this area are generally fertile sandy loams or clay loams, which provide excellent drainage and structural support for Radiata Pine, the primary species grown by the project's associated entity, AKD Softwoods.

This project was revoked in July 2022 following a restructure under Section 57 of the CFI Act. This section of the Act allows for project areas to be transferred or merged, suggesting that the Landari AKD-4 area was likely consolidated into a larger carbon project managed by Landari Pty Ltd or AKD Softwoods. AKD is one of Australia’s largest integrated forestry and timber processing companies, headquartered in nearby Colac.