AKD Red Hill Carbon Forestry Project

The AKD Red Hill Carbon Forestry Project is a plantation forestry project located near the village of Rockley, approximately 35 kilometers south of Bathurst in the Central Tablelands of New South Wales. Registered on December 20, 2024, the project covers 99.17 hectares of land. The region is well-regarded for its forestry capabilities, situated west of the major timber processing hub of Oberon.

This project operates under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative, Plantation Forestry) Methodology Determination 2022. Specifically, it falls under the "new plantation" category (Schedule 1), which involves establishing forest on land that has not been forested for at least seven years. Unlike permanent environmental plantings, this methodology allows for the commercial harvesting of timber. Carbon credits are calculated based on the long-term average carbon stock of the trees and the wood products derived from them, incentivizing the creation of new timber resources.

The Central Tablelands region is characterized by a cool temperate climate with reliable rainfall, typically exceeding 750mm annually, making it ideal for Pinus radiata (radiata pine). The local terrain features rolling hills with soils often derived from granite or tertiary basalt, providing the deep, well-drained red and brown loams preferred for commercial forestry.

The project proponent, Associated Kiln Driers Pty. Limited (AKD), is Australia's largest softwood sawmilling company. AKD operates a significant sawmill in nearby Oberon (formerly Highland Pine Products) and manages over 12,000 hectares of plantations. This project likely represents a strategic expansion of their asset base, allowing them to vertically integrate by growing their own timber supply while simultaneously generating Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs).