Western Tree Farms 1

Western Tree Farms 1 is a plantation forestry project located across the Shires of Boyup Brook and Bridgetown-Greenbushes in the South West region of Western Australia, approximately 270km south of Perth. It was registered in May 2024 and covers an area of 659.61 hectares.

Plantation forestry projects generate Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) by sequestering carbon through the establishment of new plantation forests or by converting existing short-rotation plantations into long-rotation forests. Extending the growing period before commercial harvesting significantly increases the volume of carbon stored in both the trees and the landscape. This particular project involves both establishing new plantations and converting short-rotation forests into long-rotation ones for commercial wood products.

The Bridgetown-Greenbushes and Boyup Brook region is heavily utilized for extensive forestry operations (including pine and blue gum plantations), as well as agricultural land uses like sheep and cattle grazing. The area experiences a Mediterranean climate typically classified by high winter rainfall, and the local soils are generally lateritic, consisting of gravelly and sandy loams over clay.

An interesting note about this project is its proponent, Wespine Industries Pty Ltd. Wespine is a major Western Australian softwood sawmiller based in Dardanup, jointly owned by Wesfarmers and Fletcher Building. The company specializes in processing Pinus radiata (radiata pine) for structural building timber, promoting it as a renewable, carbon-negative building material that supports regional employment while helping to control salinity and soil erosion.