2023 Age Class - Limestone Plantations

2023 Age Class - Limestone Plantations is a plantation forestry project located approximately 30km northwest of Penola in the Limestone Coast region of South Australia. Registered in June 2023, the project covers approximately 397 hectares. The site is situated within the renowned "Green Triangle," a premier forestry district known for its extensive radiata pine and blue gum plantations.

The project operates under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative, Plantation Forestry) Methodology Determination 2022. It engages in two distinct activities: establishing a new plantation forest (Schedule 1) and converting an existing short-rotation plantation to a long-rotation forest (Schedule 2). Practically, this often involves replacing short-cycle hardwood (grown for woodchips) with long-cycle softwood (grown for sawlogs). This transition significantly increases carbon sequestration as the trees grow for decades longer before harvest, storing carbon in durable wood products rather than short-lived paper products.

The Limestone Coast environment is ideally suited for commercial forestry, characterized by reliable high rainfall (generally 600–800mm annually) and well-drained soils. The region is famous for its "Terra Rossa" soils, red clay loam over limestone, as well as sandy soils over clay subsoils (texture contrast soils), which provide excellent conditions for deep-rooted pine trees.

A notable aspect of this project is its ownership structure. The proponent, OneFortyOne Plantations Pty Ltd, is a major player in the Australian timber industry. In mid-2025, OneFortyOne acquired the "Limestone Coast plantation forestry estate" from a fund managed by New Forests, which explains the participant name variation recorded in May 2025. SFM Environmental Solutions, a specialist in forestry and carbon management, acts as the agent and ongoing asset manager, ensuring the project meets the rigorous standards required for generating Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs).