Knobolas Carbon Forestry Project

The Knobolas Carbon Forestry Project is a plantation forestry project located approximately 25 kilometers southeast of Wellington in the Central West Slopes region of New South Wales. Registered in December 2025, the project covers a net abatement area of roughly 298 hectares. The surrounding region, particularly near the locality of Wuuluman, is traditionally utilized for grazing (sheep and cattle) and dryland cropping, though it increasingly supports forestry operations.

This project operates under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative, Plantation Forestry) Methodology Determination 2022. It involves the establishment of a new plantation forest (Schedule 1 activity) on land that was previously used for agricultural purposes. By planting trees for commercial timber harvesting, the project sequesters carbon in the trees, root systems, and eventual wood products. The methodology accounts for the cyclical nature of harvesting, crediting the long-term average carbon stocks rather than just the peak growth.

The environmental conditions in the Wellington district are characterized by a warm temperate climate with moderate rainfall, typically averaging around 620mm annually. The terrain generally consists of undulating slopes featuring Chromosol (Red Brown Earths) and Dermosol soils, which are well-suited for softwood plantations provided there is adequate soil depth.

The project is managed by Lagom Pty. Ltd., acting as the trustee for the Rantson Discretionary Trust, with Lawrence Ranson and Richard Ranson identified as key individuals in the project design. Notably, the project has secured financial support through the Australian Government's "Support Plantation Establishment" program, receiving approximately $674,000 in Round 3 funding to establish 337 hectares of softwood plantation (likely Radiata Pine), confirming the commercial timber focus of the operation.