Landari AKD-4 Vic 2022: Wheelers Hill

Landari AKD-4 Vic 2022: Wheelers Hill is a plantation forestry project located near the town of Macarthur, approximately 35 kilometers south of Hamilton in South West Victoria. Registered in July 2023, the project covers approximately 112 hectares of land within the Shire of Moyne. It is situated in a region widely known as the "Green Triangle," a premier area for softwood forestry that straddles the border between South Australia and Victoria. Note that while the project name includes "Wheelers Hill," the geographical coordinates place it firmly in rural western Victoria, distinct from the metropolitan Melbourne suburb of the same name.

The project operates under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative, Plantation Forestry) Methodology Determination 2022. This specific project activity involves the establishment of a new plantation forest on land that was previously used for agricultural purposes, such as grazing or cropping. By planting trees, likely Radiata Pine, given the proponent's commercial interests, the project sequesters carbon in the biomass of the growing trees. These trees are intended for commercial harvest, and the carbon credits generated represent the long-term average carbon stocks stored over the plantation's rotation cycles compared to the agricultural baseline.

The region surrounding Macarthur is characterized by its high rainfall (typically exceeding 650mm annually) and fertile volcanic soils, specifically the heavy clay loams derived from the Western District Basalt. These environmental conditions are ideal for rapid tree growth, which is why the area supports a mix of intensive sheep and cattle grazing alongside extensive blue gum and pine plantations.

The project proponent, Associated Kiln Driers Pty Ltd (AKD), is a major Australian softwood timber processor with headquarters in nearby Colac. AKD is vertically integrated, managing its own forestry estate to secure timber resources for its sawmills. This project appears to be part of AKD's strategy to expand its plantation assets while generating carbon offsets. The project was originally facilitated by Landari, a specialist carbon developer, before the participant name was formally varied to AKD in late 2023.