Woodside Native Reforestation Project - Phase 3

Woodside Native Reforestation Project - Phase 3 is a large-scale environmental planting project located in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia. Specifically, the project areas are situated within the Shires of Moora and Coorow, with one major site approximately 20 kilometers west of the town of Moora and another roughly 40 kilometers to the northwest. Registered in March 2022, the project originally covered an area of nearly 3,000 hectares, though variations in late 2024 have adjusted this footprint.

The project operates under the "Reforestation by Environmental or Mallee Plantings" methodology, which involves establishing permanent native vegetation on land previously cleared for agricultural use, typically grazing or cropping, for at least five years. The goal is to achieve forest cover with a mix of species native to the local area, such as Eucalypts, Banksias, and Hakeas. This specific methodology uses the FullCAM model to estimate carbon sequestration, requiring plantings to be maintained permanently (usually for 25 or 100 years) to generate Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs).

Environmentally, the Moora and Coorow region is characterized by a Mediterranean climate with hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters. Rainfall averages between 400mm and 500mm annually, placing it in a medium-rainfall zone suitable for broadacre cereal cropping and sheep grazing. The soils in this area are often sandy loams or lateritic gravels, known as "sandplain" country, which can be vulnerable to wind erosion and salinity if cleared. By revegetating these properties, the project aims to sequester carbon while also providing co-benefits such as soil stabilization and habitat restoration.

This project is part of Woodside Energy's broader corporate strategy to offset its Scope 1 and 2 emissions through a portfolio of carbon farming assets. Woodside has specifically highlighted the biodiversity benefits of its WA projects, noting that the planting mixes are designed to support threatened species like Carnaby’s Black Cockatoo. However, the acquisition of productive farmland for such projects has generated local debate, with some community members expressing concern over the conversion of active agricultural land into permanent carbon sinks.