Woodlands Windbreak Plantation

Woodlands Windbreak Plantation is an environmental planting project located at Nulla Vale, approximately 85km north of Melbourne and just west of the town of Pyalong in Victoria. Registered in March 2023, the project is small in scale, covering 2 hectares of land that was previously used for agriculture.

The project operates under the "Reforestation by Environmental or Mallee Plantings" methodology, which involves establishing permanent native forests on cleared land. Key requirements for this method typically include planting species native to the local area at a density sufficient to achieve forest cover, generally defined as reaching 20% crown cover and a height of at least 2 meters. Given the "Windbreak" designation in the title, the plantings are likely arranged as shelterbelts, which sequester carbon while providing livestock with protection from the elements.

The Nulla Vale region is characterized by its granite-derived landscape, featuring rolling hills and sandy clay loam soils. The area supports a temperate climate with moderate rainfall, typically averaging between 600mm and 700mm annually. The surrounding land use is predominantly grazing for sheep and cattle. The project proponent, Donald George Paterson, is a long-standing member of the local community and a former Shire President who was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for his service to the region.