Forest Farm Carbon Project

Forest Farm Carbon Project is a plantation forestry project located at Tintenbar, approximately 12 kilometers northwest of Ballina in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales. Registered in August 2023, the project covers nearly 57 hectares within a larger family-owned property known as "Forest Farm."

The region is characterized by its lush, subtropical environment, receiving high rainfall typical of the Alstonville Plateau. The area is renowned for its fertile, red basaltic soils (krasnozems), which traditionally support intensive horticulture (particularly macadamia nuts) and cattle grazing. The project site itself was originally acquired in 2016 as a grazing property featuring harvestable stands of timber.

This project operates under the Plantation Forestry methodology, specifically utilizing the "transition to permanent planting" activity. This approach involves taking an established commercial timber plantation, which would typically be clear-felled for wood products, and legally protecting it to grow indefinitely. By foregoing the harvest, the project generates carbon credits for the continued sequestration of carbon in the maturing trees.

A key feature of the Forest Farm Carbon Project is its focus on biodiversity co-benefits. The plantation consists of Flooded Gum, Blackbutt, and Hoop Pine, which are being retained to provide critical habitat for local wildlife, including koalas. The proponents, the Herington family, manage the land with a holistic "natural capital" approach, integrating the carbon project with broader ecological restoration efforts verified under the Accounting for Nature framework.