Yellow Wattlebird 2022 Project

Yellow Wattlebird 2022 Project is a dispersed plantation forestry project located across the prime forestry regions of Northern Tasmania. The project area covers approximately 1,339 hectares and comprises multiple distinct coupes. Significant portions of the project are situated in the Surrey Hills estate near Hampshire (roughly 30km south of Burnie) and in the North East Highlands near Winnaleah and Weldborough (roughly 80km northeast of Launceston). The project was registered on August 11, 2023.

The project is managed by Forico, Tasmania's largest private forest manager, on behalf of The Trust Company (Australia) Limited (acting as trustee for the Tasmanian Forest Operating Sub Trust). This trust structure is an investment vehicle managed by New Forests, a global investment manager of nature-based assets. The project naming convention follows Forico's tradition of naming carbon projects after Tasmanian bird species, such as the Yellow Wattlebird (Anthochaera paradoxa), which is Australia's largest honeyeater and endemic to the island.

The project operates under the 2022 Plantation Forestry methodology, specifically utilizing the "avoided conversion" activity. This indicates that the plantation forest was at risk of being permanently cleared and converted into non-forested land, likely for high-value agricultural use such as dairy or beef pasture, which are dominant industries in these high-rainfall zones. By registering this project, the proponent commits to maintaining the land as forest rather than clearing it for agriculture.

The environmental setting for these sites is characterized by cool temperate climates and high rainfall, often exceeding 1,200mm annually, particularly in the Surrey Hills region. The soils in these areas are predominantly Ferrosols (deep red volcanic soils), which are highly fertile and prized for both forestry and intensive agriculture, underpinning the commercial viability of the alternative land use that this project avoids.