Woodside Native Reforestation Project - Phase 7

Woodside Native Reforestation Project - Phase 7 is a large-scale environmental planting project located in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, specifically spanning the Shires of Dandaragan and Moora. Situated approximately 25 kilometers west of the regional town of Moora and 170 kilometers north of Perth, the project sits within a landscape traditionally dominated by broadacre cropping and sheep grazing. Registered on August 20, 2024, this massive project covers 4,415 hectares, marking it as a significant individual landholding within Woodside's broader carbon portfolio.

The project operates under the "Reforestation by Environmental or Mallee Plantings" methodology, which involves establishing permanent native forests on land that has been cleared of trees for at least five years. To generate Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs), the project must plant native species, typically a mix of eucalypts, wattles, and banksias local to the area, at a density sufficient to reach forest cover (generally over 200 stems per hectare). Woodside Energy, a major oil and gas proponent, develops these projects to offset their Scope 1 corporate emissions. Their strategy often involves purchasing "marginal" agricultural land for reforestation while leasing the more productive cropping zones back to local farmers to maintain community ties.

Environmentally, the Moora and Dandaragan region experiences a Mediterranean climate characterized by hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters. The area receives moderate rainfall, averaging between 450mm and 550mm annually, which is sufficient to support the rapid establishment of native vegetation. The soil profile in this district, often referred to as the West Midlands or Dandaragan Plateau, typically consists of deep sands, gravels, and duplex soils (sand over clay). These sandy earths historically supported biodiverse Kwongan heathland and woodlands before being cleared for agriculture, making them well-suited for native restoration efforts.