Wide Open Agriculture Regenerative Tree Farmer Project

Wide Open Agriculture Regenerative Tree Farmer Project is an environmental planting project located across multiple sites in the Wheatbelt, South West, and Great Southern regions of Western Australia, extending from near Dalwallinu in the north down to Cranbrook in the south. It was registered in May 2022 and covers a massive 8,573.96 ha.

Environmental planting projects involve establishing permanent forest cover through planting a mix of native tree or mallee species. Under this methodology, plantings must be designed to eventually reach at least 2 metres in height and provide a minimum of 20% canopy cover, which generally requires a planting density of at least 200 stems per hectare. The trees are planted on land that was predominantly used for agriculture for at least five years before the project began.

The regions encompassing this project are traditionally known for broadacre cropping (such as wheat and canola) and livestock grazing. Because the project sites are spread across such a vast area of Western Australia, the climate varies from semi-arid with low winter rainfall in the northern Wheatbelt, to a more moderate, high-rainfall Mediterranean climate in the South West. Soils across these planting areas typically consist of sandy loams, lateritic gravels, and clay duplexes.

Originally registered as the Paraway Tree Project by Wyloo Pastoral Co Pty Ltd, the project underwent a variation in May 2023 to add more land to the project area. In early 2024, it was officially renamed to reflect the involvement of Wide Open Agriculture Ltd, who joined as a co-proponent. The Carbon Farming Foundation currently acts as the project agent, assisting with the transition of these agricultural landscapes into regenerative forestry hubs.