Wide Open Agriculture Regenerative Tree Farmer Project

The Wide Open Agriculture Regenerative Tree Farmer Project is a large-scale, aggregated environmental planting project located across multiple agricultural districts in Western Australia. Spanning a vast geographic range, the project area encompasses properties extending from near Coorow in the northern Wheatbelt down to the Boyup Brook and Cranbrook regions in the Great Southern. Registered in May 2022, the project covers a significant total area of 8,573.96 hectares.

This project operates under the "Reforestation by Environmental or Mallee Plantings" methodology. It involves establishing permanent plantings of mixed native tree species on land previously used for cropping or grazing for at least five years. The planting design typically utilizes the FullCAM model to estimate carbon sequestration, requiring trees to be planted at densities sufficient to achieve forest cover (generally over 200 stems per hectare). The project is designed not only for carbon credits but to support regenerative agriculture principles, integrating shelterbelts and biodiversity corridors into active farm landscapes.

Given the dispersed nature of the project, the environmental conditions vary significantly. The northern sites near Coorow typically experience a semi-arid climate with rainfall around 350mm and sandy loam or red duplex soils, commonly used for broadacre wheat and sheep farming. The southern sites near Boyup Brook and Cranbrook enjoy a cooler, Mediterranean climate with higher rainfall (exceeding 600mm) and gravelly lateritic soils, supporting more intensive grazing and mixed farming.

A notable aspect of this project is the high-profile partnership between the proponents. It is a collaboration between Wide Open Agriculture Ltd (WOA), known for its "Dirty Clean Food" regenerative brand, and Wyloo Pastoral Co. Pty Ltd, the private agricultural investment arm of Andrew and Nicola Forrest’s Tattarang. The project was originally registered as the "Paraway Tree Project," suggesting it may have originated on land previously held by Paraway Pastoral before being rebranded following Wyloo's involvement. Additionally, The Carbon Farming Foundation plays a key role as a service provider, and the initiative has received funding support through the Western Australian Government’s Carbon Farming and Land Restoration Program to demonstrate how carbon farming can function within productive supply chains.