Braeside Reforestation Project

Braeside Reforestation Project is an environmental planting project located in the Snowy Monaro region of New South Wales, approximately 15km south of Berridale and 45km south of Cooma. Registered in August 2023, the project covers roughly 337 hectares of land that was previously used for agriculture. The surrounding Monaro Tablelands are traditionally dominated by grazing operations, particularly for Merino wool and beef cattle, known for their distinct rolling treeless plains and granite outcrops.

The project operates under the "Reforestation by Environmental or Mallee Plantings" methodology, which involves establishing permanent forest cover using native tree species. For this specific site, the activity entails planting a mix of species native to the local area to restore vegetation on land cleared for grazing at least five years prior. The methodology typically requires planting at a density sufficient to achieve forest cover (often defined as reaching 20% crown cover and a height of at least 2 meters), ensuring the new woodland is permanent and self-sustaining.

Environmentally, the Berridale area is situated in a rain shadow effect of the Snowy Mountains, resulting in a cool temperate climate with relatively low and variable rainfall compared to the alpine areas to the west. The soils in the Monaro region are a complex mosaic, often featuring granite-derived soils (tending to be sandy and low fertility) and basalt-derived soils (heavier clays with higher fertility but often rocky). The region is prone to cold winters and frost, meaning the selected native species must be hardy and frost-tolerant.

The project is developed by Permagen, a specialist carbon developer established by the founding team of the renewable energy company Genex Power. Permagen focuses specifically on high-integrity environmental plantings and often partners with investment firms like Wollemi Capital to fund these developments. They emphasize biodiversity co-benefits and have indicated intentions to monitor projects using standards such as Accounting for Nature, aiming to create premium carbon credits that verify positive ecological outcomes alongside carbon sequestration.