FPC 2023 CP2

FPC 2023 CP2 is a Plantation Forestry carbon project located in the Shire of Cranbrook, Western Australia, approximately 30km west of the town of Frankland River. Registered in October 2023, the project covers a total area of 460.83 hectares. The region is situated within the Great Southern district, an area traditionally utilized for mixed farming activities such as sheep grazing and cropping, alongside significant commercial timber operations.

The project operates under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative-Plantation Forestry) Methodology Determination 2022. Specifically, it utilizes the "avoided conversion" activity. This involves preventing the conversion of plantation land to non-forested land (such as pasture or cropland) following a harvest. Instead of reverting the land to agriculture, which might otherwise occur due to economic drivers, the proponent commits to re-establishing and maintaining a new plantation forest for the commercial harvesting of wood products, thereby keeping the carbon sequestered in the landscape.

Environmentally, the project area lies in a Mediterranean climate zone characterized by wet winters and dry summers, typical of the distinct high-rainfall forestry belt in southwestern Western Australia. The soils in this region are generally comprised of lateritic gravels and sandy loams, which are well-suited for supporting softwood pine (Pinus radiata) or blue gum (Eucalyptus globulus) plantations.

The project proponent is the Forest Products Commission (FPC), a Western Australian government trading enterprise. The project was previously known as "FPC Carbon Project 3" before a name variation in September 2024. This initiative aligns with the WA State Government’s broader Softwood Plantation Investment Program, a $350 million strategy aimed at expanding the state's softwood estate to secure future timber supplies while generating carbon credits.