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, situated between the towns of Badgingarra and Moora, approximately 170km north of Perth. Registered in March 2022, the project covers a substantial area of 2,985 hectares. The region is historically dominated by broadacre agriculture, specifically mixed cropping and sheep grazing, which characterizes the land use prior to the project's commencement.

The project operates under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative) (Reforestation by Environmental or Mallee Plantings-FullCAM) Methodology Determination 2014. This methodology involves the direct planting of native tree and shrub species (via seeds or tubestock) on land that has been clear of forest cover for at least five years. To generate Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs), the plantings must achieve a forest cover structure with a stocking density typically exceeding 200 stems per hectare, ensuring permanent carbon sequestration in the growing biomass.

Environmentally, the project area sits within the Dandaragan Plateau and Northern Wheatbelt, a region characterized by a Mediterranean climate with cool, wet winters and dry, hot summers. The average annual rainfall ranges between 450mm and 600mm. The soil profile is typical of the West Australian sandplains, consisting largely of deep sandy earths, lateritic gravels, and sandy duplex soils. These conditions formerly supported kwongan heath and Banksia woodlands, and the project aims to restore similar native vegetation communities.

Woodside Energy Carbon (Services) Pty Ltd is the proponent, utilizing this project as part of a broader corporate strategy to offset Scope 1 and 2 emissions from their oil and gas operations. Notably, Woodside’s reforestation initiatives in this region often emphasize co-benefits such as biodiversity restoration, specifically targeting habitat creation for threatened species like Carnaby’s Black Cockatoo. A variation to the project area in December 2024 removed certain land parcels, suggesting active refinement of the carbon estimation areas to ensure compliance or optimize yield.