Ringwood Koala Friendly Carbon Project

Ringwood Koala Friendly Carbon Project is a significant environmental planting initiative located on the "Ringwood" property near Uralla, in the New England region of New South Wales. Situated approximately 40 kilometers west of Armidale, the project sits within the Northern Tablelands, a region historically dominated by high-quality wool and beef cattle grazing. The project was registered in September 2024 and covers a total project area of approximately 734 hectares.

The project operates under the Reforestation by Environmental or Mallee Plantings methodology, utilizing the FullCAM model to estimate carbon sequestration. This specific undertaking involves establishing permanent native forests on land previously cleared for agriculture. Uniquely, this project is a flagship site for the "Koala Friendly Carbon Initiative," a partnership between the project developer Climate Friendly and WWF-Australia. The planting design incorporates over 20 diverse native species specifically selected to provide critical food and shelter for the endangered koala population, with reports indicating a planting density well above the standard 200 stems per hectare requirement to ensure robust habitat creation.

The local environment is characterized by the cool temperate climate of the New England Tablelands, which typically sees summer-dominant rainfall averaging between 700mm and 800mm annually, though the area is also prone to cold winters and heavy frosts. The soils in the Uralla and Bundarra districts are variable, often consisting of granites and trap rock, which support the native woodland ecosystems being restored. Beyond carbon sequestration, the project is explicitly designed to create a biodiversity corridor, allowing the proponents, James Smith and Angelica Morse, to integrate conservation with their existing grazing operations.