Blackwood Biodiversity and Carbon Project

The Blackwood Biodiversity and Carbon Project is an environmental planting initiative located approximately 8 to 10 kilometers northeast of the township of Penshurst in the Southern Grampians region of Victoria. Registered in May 2022, the project covers 181.23 hectares of the historic "Blackwood" property, a well-known Western District pastoral station. The project is managed by DPC Administration Pty Ltd, an entity associated with the Dunkeld Pastoral Company, with Corporate Carbon Advisory serving as the carbon service provider.

The project operates under the Reforestation by Environmental or Mallee Plantings methodology (FullCAM), specifically transitioning to the 2024 determination. This methodology requires the establishment of permanent plantings of native tree and shrub species on land that was previously cleared for agricultural use. The primary goal is to sequester carbon by re-establishing forest cover at a density sufficient to reach forest potential (typically over 200 stems per hectare), while simultaneously improving local biodiversity.

The region is part of the Victorian Volcanic Plains, characterized by fertile but often heavy basalt-derived clay and loam soils. The area receives reliable rainfall, historically supporting high-productivity grazing (sheep and cattle) and increasingly cropping operations. The Blackwood property itself is noted for its "picturesque aesthetic" homestead and landscape, originally established in the 1840s. The planting project likely integrates conservation zones within the active agricultural landscape, utilizing the native vegetation to provide shelter for livestock and connectivity for local wildlife.