Gippsland 2024 Carbon Project

Gippsland 2024 Carbon Project is a plantation forestry project located across multiple sites in Victoria, predominantly clustered in the Gippsland region near major towns like Traralgon, Yarram, and Bairnsdale, with additional sites in North-East Victoria and Western Victoria. Registered in June 2024, the project initially covered 1218.95 hectares, with multiple variations actively adding new areas to the project footprint through to September 2026.

Plantation forestry projects operating under the avoided conversion method involve maintaining an existing or recently harvested plantation forest that was otherwise at risk of being converted to non-forested land, such as agricultural pasture. By committing to continue plantation operations, the project avoids greenhouse gas emissions and retains carbon in the landscape. Standard requirements for this methodology dictate that the trees must be managed for commercial harvesting of wood products while adhering to specific stocking densities, rotation intervals, and rigorous growth monitoring standards.

The regions encompassed by this project are characterised by high rainfall, which is essential for commercial timber growth. The environment across these sites features a diverse mix of soil types, ranging from fertile red ferrosols (krasnozems) in parts of Gippsland to clay loams and podzolic soils in the wider regional estates. These areas are historically utilised for heavy forestry, dairy farming, and livestock grazing.

A notable fact about this project is its connection to the Victorian Government's Gippsland Plantation Investment Program. Following the state's decision to phase out native forest logging, the government invested $120 million, an amount matched by the project proponent, Hancock Victorian Plantations (HVP). This broader initiative aims to plant 16 million trees over a decade, removing an estimated 7.8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere over 25 years while securing local timber supply and regional jobs. The successive ACCU area variations directly reflect HVP's ongoing multi-million seedling winter planting programs and broader land expansion strategy.