The Nannup Truffle Farm - Carbon Sequestration Project

The Nannup Truffle Farm - Carbon Sequestration Project is an environmental planting project located in Cundinup, approximately 20 kilometers north of Nannup and 40 kilometers southeast of Busselton in Western Australia's South West region. Registered in August 2022, the project covers a total area of 12.36 hectares. The initiative was established on land historically used for cattle grazing and is situated within the Blackwood Valley, a region renowned for its forestry, dairy farming, and increasingly, viticulture and truffle production.

Operating under the Reforestation by Environmental or Mallee Plantings methodology, the project involves the permanent planting of mixed native tree species on land that has been clear of forest for at least five years. To generate Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs), the plantings must be established at a density sufficient to achieve "forest cover" (typically reaching over 2 meters in height with at least 20% canopy cover). This specific project reported planting over 16,500 native seedlings across 10 hectares, a density well above the minimum standard, ensuring robust biodiversity and carbon sequestration outcomes.

The local environment features a Mediterranean climate characterized by wet winters and dry summers, with high annual rainfall typical of the South West timber regions. The soils in the Cundinup and Nannup area are generally fertile, loamy gravels and sandy loams, well-suited to supporting both the native Jarrah/Marri vegetation and the property's commercial orchards.

A unique feature of this project is its symbiotic relationship with the proponent's primary business, Nannup Truffles. While the commercial truffle orchard relies on inoculated exotic oak and hazel trees, this carbon project utilizes native vegetation to create a buffer zone around the property's dam. This planting is designed to filter runoff and prevent algal blooms caused by historical chemical use on adjacent pastures, thereby protecting the water quality required to irrigate the truffle truffière. The project has received funding support from the Western Australian Government's Carbon Farming and Land Restoration Program.