FIT WA 2026 Carbon Project

FIT WA 2026 Carbon Project is a plantation forestry project located at multiple sites across the Great Southern and South West regions of Western Australia, including properties near Mount Barker, Boyup Brook, and east of Albany. It was registered in September 2025 and initially covers 1,795.80 hectares, with a variation on July 20, 2026, officially adding more land area to the project.

The project operates under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative, Plantation Forestry) Methodology Determination 2022. This methodology generates carbon credits by establishing and maintaining new plantation forests or converting existing short-rotation plantations (typically used for woodchip/pulp) to long-rotation plantations (typically used for sawlogs). To meet standard requirements, these projects must actively manage the forest for the commercial harvesting of wood products, which includes ensuring that targeted areas meet viable stocking densities and standard commercial silvicultural practices.

The Great Southern region of Western Australia is highly regarded for broadacre cropping, sheep grazing, and extensive commercial forestry operations. The climate is predominantly Mediterranean, providing moderate to high winter rainfall which is essential for sustained tree growth. The region's soils typically consist of lateritic gravels and sandy loams over clay subsoils.

An interesting aspect of this project is its broader environmental context. The project's agent, PF Olsen (Australia), actively partners with organizations like BirdLife Australia to conduct extensive biodiversity monitoring across the Forestry Investment Trust (FIT) estates. These ongoing surveys have demonstrated that commercial hardwood plantations in Western Australia can serve as critical wildlife refuges in heavily fragmented agricultural landscapes, successfully supporting and maintaining a large variety of endemic bird species.