AA2025R_BlackHillsP_S1S3

AA2025R_BlackHillsP_S1S3 is a Plantation Forestry project located in Black Hills, approximately 12km north of New Norfolk and 30km northwest of Hobart in the Derwent Valley region of Tasmania. It was registered in August 2024 and covers 456.38 hectares.

Plantation forestry projects accumulate and sequester carbon as trees grow, reducing carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. Under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative, Plantation Forestry) Methodology Determination 2022, projects can earn Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) by establishing new plantations, converting short-rotation plantations to long-rotation, or maintaining existing plantations that are at risk of being converted to non-forested land. This specific project sequesters carbon by establishing a new commercial plantation forest and by avoiding the conversion of an existing or harvested plantation into non-forested land.

The Derwent Valley area is known for a mix of land uses, including sheep grazing, dairying, broadacre cropping, and forestry operations. The eastern part of the Derwent Valley municipality, where Black Hills is situated, typically receives moderate rainfall of around 500-700 mm annually. The region's soils largely consist of sandstone and clay sediments forming duplex soils (such as chromosols), along with areas of more fertile brown dermosols and clay-rich soils developed from underlying basalt and dolerite.

The project is run by The Trust Company (Australia) Limited as trustee for The Tasmanian Carbon Afforestation Sub-Trust, with participation from SFM Environmental Solutions Pty Ltd. SFM Environmental Solutions assists landowners in utilizing underperforming or difficult-to-manage agricultural land for forestry, creating a dual income stream from both commercial timber harvesting and ACCUs. The Tasmanian Carbon Afforestation Sub-Trust has notably been supported by the Australian Government's Support Plantation Establishment program (receiving funding from Round 3 of the grants) to help finance the site preparation and setup of these plantations.