Woodside Native Reforestation Project - Phase 5

Woodside Native Reforestation Project - Phase 5 is an environmental planting project located across multiple shires in Western Australia (including Gingin, Victoria Plains, Mount Marshall, Westonia, and Donnybrook-Balingup), with sites extending outwards from Perth across regions like the Wheatbelt and South West. It was registered in February 2024 and covers an expansive 6742.64 hectares.

Environmental planting projects involve establishing permanent plantings of a mix of native tree species to restore forest cover. Standard requirements for this methodology dictate that the trees must be planted at a sufficient density to achieve forest cover, typically aiming for at least 200 stems per hectare and a minimum of 20% crown cover, and must be capable of reaching a height of at least 2 metres.

The regional land uses across these diverse sites range from broadacre cropping (such as wheat and canola) and sheep grazing in the Wheatbelt region (Mount Marshall, Westonia, and Victoria Plains) to mixed grazing, forestry, and horticulture in the higher-rainfall South West region (Donnybrook-Balingup). The environmental conditions vary significantly across the properties, ranging from semi-arid climates with sandy and clay loam soils in the eastern Wheatbelt, to high-rainfall Mediterranean zones with loamy and gravelly soils in the South West.

This project aims to establish permanent, mixed-species environmental plantings native to the local areas on land that was predominantly used for agricultural purposes for at least five years prior to commencement. Notably, the project is run by Woodside Energy Carbon (Services) Pty Ltd, a subsidiary of Woodside Energy Group, reflecting the major energy producer's strategy to generate carbon offsets for its corporate emissions profile with a nominated permanence period of 100 years. During the planning phase, Woodside engaged with the Yued Aboriginal Corporation regarding planting boundaries in the Gingin area to protect registered Indigenous heritage sites, such as the Gingin Brook Waggyl Site, by adjusting planting activities around these areas.