Forbes Aggregation - Bergen Hill

Forbes Aggregation - Bergen Hill is a Reforestation by Environmental or Mallee Plantings project located approximately 30km southwest of the major township of Forbes in the Central West region of New South Wales. Registered on September 9, 2025, the project covers an area of 93.89 hectares. The surrounding landscape is part of a significant agricultural belt known for dryland cropping, particularly wheat, and livestock grazing, which provides the baseline land use typically converted or integrated with these carbon farming initiatives.

The project operates under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative) (Reforestation by Environmental or Mallee Plantings, FullCAM) Methodology Determination 2024. This methodology serves as an update to the previous 2014 standard, providing rules for establishing permanent (non-harvest) native forests. A key requirement is establishing a mix of trees and shrubs native to the local area that has the potential to attain "forest cover," defined as a height of at least 2 meters and a crown cover of at least 20%. The 2024 method notably introduced flexibility by allowing planting to commence immediately upon application submission and permitting limited commercial seed harvesting (up to 20% per year).

Environmentally, the Forbes region is characterized by a semi-arid to temperate climate with an average annual rainfall of approximately 525mm to 570mm, which is generally spread evenly throughout the year but subject to seasonal variability. The local terrain typically features red chromosols, red loams and clay soils that are well-suited to both the region's cereal cropping history and the native woodland vegetation being restored. The inclusion of "Aggregation" in the project name suggests this property is likely one of multiple sites managed by the proponent, NBS Agriculture Pty Ltd, to achieve economies of scale in carbon abatement.