FPC 2024 CP2

FPC 2024 CP2 is a commercial plantation forestry project located across the South West timber region of Western Australia. The project area is dispersed across three main sites: one situated approximately 5km west of Greenbushes, another roughly 25km west of Manjimup near Nannup, and a third site located about 20km south-east of Manjimup near Quinninup. Registered in June 2024, the project covers a total area of approximately 657 hectares.

The region is the heart of Western Australia's forestry and agricultural sector. The landscape is characterized by a Mediterranean climate with high annual rainfall (typically exceeding 900mm), which is essential for supporting commercial timber growth. The soils in this area are distinct and highly productive, consisting largely of "Karri loams" (red earths) in the valleys and lateritic gravels on the ridges. Aside from forestry, the surrounding land use includes intensive horticulture, such as apple orchards and avocado farming, as well as dairy farming and viticulture.

The project operates under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative, Plantation Forestry) Methodology Determination 2022. Specifically, this falls under the "New Plantation" category (Schedule 1), which involves establishing a new plantation forest on land where no plantation existed for the previous seven years. Unlike permanent environmental plantings, this method allows for commercial harvesting. Carbon credits (ACCUs) are generated based on the long-term average carbon stock of the trees over their rotation cycle, rather than the total biomass at maturity.

This project is likely a component of the Western Australian Government's $350 million "Softwood Plantation Investment Program." Following the state's ban on commercial logging in native forests (effective from 2024), the proponent, the Forest Products Commission (FPC), has been aggressively expanding its softwood estate, predominantly Radiata Pine, to secure a sustainable timber supply for the construction industry while simultaneously generating carbon offsets.