Stockdale Park Carbon Project

Stockdale Park Carbon Project is a plantation forestry project named after the Stockdale plantation estate located near Stratford in the Gippsland region of Victoria. While the project derives its title from this specific locality approximately 200km east of Melbourne, it functions as an aggregation of multiple forestry sites managed by Hancock Victorian Plantations (HVP). Registered in August 2023, the project currently covers over 2,500 hectares, with sites dispersed across key Victorian timber regions including the Green Triangle in the South West (near Cobden and Casterton), Central Victoria (near Beaufort), and the North East (near Tallangatta).

The project operates under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative, Plantation Forestry) Methodology Determination 2022, utilizing a hybrid approach. It includes activities under Schedule 1, which involves establishing new plantation forests on land previously used for grazing or cropping, and Schedule 2, which involves converting existing short-rotation plantations (typically pulpwood) into long-rotation plantations (sawlogs). This transition extends the life of the trees, thereby increasing the volume of carbon stored in the forest biomass and long-lived wood products compared to the baseline scenario.

Due to the statewide distribution of the project area, environmental conditions vary significantly. The titular Stockdale area in Gippsland is characterized by sandy loam soils and moderate rainfall, where HVP manages Pinus radiata plantations adjacent to the ecologically significant Perry River "Chain of Ponds" system. In contrast, the project's western allotments sit on the fertile volcanic plains of the Green Triangle, a region renowned for high rainfall and deep clay/basalt soils that support some of Australia's most productive timber plantations.

Hancock Victorian Plantations is one of the largest private timber plantation companies in Australia, owned largely by Australian and international superannuation funds. The project has undergone numerous variations since registration to add new areas, reflecting a rolling strategy of enrolling plantation estates into the carbon market as they are established or converted. The specific "Stockdale" property is also the site of a notable conservation partnership protecting the local chain of ponds waterways, highlighting the integration of commercial forestry with environmental management.