St Peters Pass Plantation Project

St Peters Pass Plantation Project is a plantation forestry project located at St Peters Pass, approximately 15km north of Oatlands and 20km south of Ross in the Tasmanian Midlands. The project is situated on the property "An Cala," which straddles the Midland Highway, a historic transport corridor connecting Hobart and Launceston. Registered in April 2023, the project covers approximately 412 hectares in the Southern Midlands Council area. The surrounding region is the heartland of Tasmania's fine wool industry, characterized by extensive sheep grazing and mixed agriculture, though it increasingly incorporates farm forestry on marginal lands.

The project operates under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative, Plantation Forestry) Methodology Determination 2022. It specifically engages in activities to avoid the conversion of plantation land to non-forested land (such as pasture) and establishes new plantation forests. By committing to maintaining forest cover, often shifting from short-rotation woodchip crops to long-rotation sawlogs, the project generates credits for the carbon sequestered in the growing trees. Unlike environmental plantings which are permanent conservation forests, plantation forestry allows for commercial harvesting (rotational forestry), provided the average carbon stocks are maintained over time.

Environmentally, the St Peters Pass area lies within the Tasmanian Midlands' "rain shadow," resulting in a dry subhumid climate that is significantly drier than the state's west coast. The average annual rainfall is approximately 600mm. The landscape is dominated by Jurassic dolerite hills and ridges, producing fertile but often stony clay-loam soils (Ferrosols and Vertosols) that are well-suited to forestry where cropping is difficult due to topography or rockiness.

An interesting aspect of this project is its proponent, An Cala Pty Ltd, led by fifth-generation farmer Dougal Morrison. The project has received support from Private Forests Tasmania through the "Stems for CO2" grant program. It reportedly involves the planting of over 160,000 Pinus radiata seedlings, utilizing a "right tree, right place" approach to monetize marginal grazing land while retaining prime agricultural land for the property's 18,000 Merino ewes and cattle. A variation to the project area was recorded on October 10, 2025, adjusting the specific boundaries of the carbon estimation area.