Woodside Native Reforestation Project - Phase 4

Woodside Native Reforestation Project - Phase 4 is an environmental planting project located across multiple properties in the Coorow and Dalwallinu local government areas, approximately 250km north to northeast of Perth in Western Australia. It was registered in May 2023 and initially covered 4,873.71 hectares, though project area variations recorded in June and October 2025 saw specific land segments removed from the project boundaries.

Environmental planting projects under the Carbon Farming Initiative involve establishing a mix of locally native tree species to restore historical forest cover. To satisfy FullCAM methodology requirements, these permanent mixed-species plantings must be planted at a sufficient density capable of achieving forest conditions, which standardly requires at least 200 stems per hectare to attain a minimum 20% crown cover and reach a height of at least 2 metres.

The properties utilized for this project are situated in Western Australia's Wheatbelt region, an area widely known for broadacre agriculture, particularly wheat, canola, and sheep grazing. The region experiences a semi-arid, Mediterranean climate classified as low to moderate rainfall, typically receiving between 300mm and 400mm annually. Soils in this landscape generally consist of sandy loams, lateritic gravels, sandplains, and duplex soils such as sand over clay.

This reforestation effort is part of a large-scale ongoing carbon offset program driven by the Australian energy company Woodside Energy. To establish the project, Woodside selected land that had been predominantly used for agricultural purposes for at least five years prior. To maintain regional agricultural viability, the project design strategically converts lower-productivity land into mixed native forest, while preserving the more productive areas for continued farming operations. Seedlings are being hand-planted at 3-metre intervals within furrows spaced approximately 6 metres apart to maximize establishment and survivability. As of mid-2025, Woodside reported significant progress in this reforestation program, forecasting that approximately 2 million biodiverse seedlings would be deployed across their Western Australian properties throughout the year.