FPC 2024 CP4

FPC 2024 CP4 is a plantation forestry project located in the South West region of Western Australia, with specific plantation areas distributed across the Shires of Manjimup, Cranbrook, and West Arthur. The project sites are situated roughly 150km to 250km south of Perth, with the southern sections lying near the timber town of Manjimup and northern sections closer to Collie and Darkan. Registered on July 31, 2024, the project covers a total area of approximately 548 hectares.

The region is a primary hub for Western Australia's timber and agricultural industries, featuring a mix of native forests, commercial softwood plantations, and grazing land. The area experiences a Mediterranean climate characterized by cool, wet winters and warm, dry summers, with high annual rainfall typically exceeding 600mm, which is essential for viable commercial forestry. The soils in this region are predominantly lateritic gravels and sandy loams, often associated with the Darling Plateau, which provide suitable drainage and anchorage for plantation species like Radiata pine (Pinus radiata).

This project operates under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative, Plantation Forestry) Methodology Determination 2022. Specifically, it engages in the "conversion from short-rotation to long-rotation" activity. This involves altering the management of a plantation originally intended for short-term harvest (such as pulpwood or woodchips, typically harvested at 10–15 years) to a long-term regime (such as sawlogs, harvested at 25–30 years). By extending the rotation period and performing silvicultural treatments like thinning and pruning, the trees grow larger and sequester carbon for a longer duration, eventually storing that carbon in long-lived wood products used in construction.

The proponent, the Forest Products Commission (FPC), is the Western Australian government's trading enterprise responsible for managing the state's commercial forests. This project appears to align with the WA Government's recent $350 million Softwood Plantation Investment Program, which aims to expand the state's softwood estate to support the construction industry and meet climate goals.