AKD-4 Vic 2022: Hanna

AKD-4 Vic 2022: Hanna is a Plantation Forestry project located near Dereel, approximately 25 kilometres south-west of Ballarat in the Golden Plains Shire of Victoria. It was registered in August 2023 and covers 173.01 hectares.

Plantation forestry projects sequester carbon by establishing, maintaining, or modifying plantation forests intended for the commercial harvesting of wood products. Standard requirements for this methodology dictate that the trees must reach adequate stocking densities to form a permanent forest canopy. This specific project involves converting an existing short-rotation plantation forest into a long-rotation plantation forest. By extending the rotation length, the trees grow larger and store carbon for a longer period before harvest, eventually locking up this sequestered carbon in long-lived harvested wood products like structural timber.

The Golden Plains Shire area is well known for traditional broadacre agriculture, primarily sheep and cattle grazing and cropping, alongside historical gold mining and significant commercial forestry operations. The region experiences a temperate climate with an annual rainfall averaging around 600 to 700 mm. The local environment sits on the edge of the Victorian Volcanic Plains, where soils typically consist of heavy clay subsoils over weathered basalt or sedimentary bedrock.

This project was originally registered under the name "Landari AKD-4 Vic 2022: Hanna" by Landari Pty Ltd. In November 2023, the proponent was officially updated to Associated Kiln Driers Pty Ltd (commonly known as AKD Softwoods), which operates as one of Australia's largest softwood sawmilling businesses. In March 226, the project name was shortened to "AKD-4 Vic 2022: Hanna". The transition to a long-rotation plantation will help secure vital local timber supplies for AKD's regional milling operations, aligning commercial building material output with carbon offset goals.