Sunnyside Permanent Planting Project

Sunnyside Permanent Planting Project is a plantation forestry project located at the "Sunnyside" property, approximately 80km northeast of Albany in the Great Southern region of Western Australia. Registered in November 2022, the project covers 560 hectares of existing timber plantation.

The project operates under the Plantation Forestry methodology, specifically utilising the "transition to permanent forest" activity. This involves taking a commercial timber plantation, typically Blue Gum (Eucalyptus globulus) in this region, that is ready for harvest or at risk of conversion to agriculture, and instead legally protecting it as a permanent forest. By ceasing the harvest cycle and maintaining the trees for 100 years, the project prevents the release of stored carbon and allows the forest to continue sequestering CO₂ as it matures.

The Great Southern region is characterised by a Mediterranean climate with cool, wet winters and hot, dry summers. The landscape surrounding the project typically features sandy duplex soils and gravelly loams, supporting a mix of broadacre cropping (canola, wheat), livestock grazing, and commercial forestry.

This project is a notable joint initiative between Carbon Neutral, Gondwana Link, and the proponent Forever Carbon Corridors. Beyond carbon sequestration, the project is designed to act as a crucial wildlife corridor within the Gondwana Link ecological zone, protecting habitat for threatened species such as the Carnaby’s Cockatoo and Malleefowl. The site forms part of a larger 1,550-hectare property that also includes managed remnant vegetation.