Woodside Plantation Forestry Project - Phase 1

Woodside Plantation Forestry Project - Phase 1 is a commercial plantation forestry project located approximately 20km east of the small town of Watheroo and 45km north of Moora in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia. Registered on January 15, 2026, the project covers a substantial area of 1,852 hectares. The surrounding region is predominantly used for broadacre cropping (cereals and oilseeds) and sheep grazing, though it has seen an increasing shift toward carbon farming and forestry activities on marginal sandy soils.

The project operates under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative, Plantation Forestry) Methodology Determination 2022. Unlike environmental planting projects which are designed to establish permanent native forest, this methodology supports the establishment of new plantation forests for commercial harvesting. The project activities involve planting trees (likely softwoods suitable for the region) at a density sufficient to generate carbon credits while also producing wood products. This approach allows carbon to be sequestered in the growing trees and subsequently stored in the harvested wood products.

Environmentally, the site is situated in a semi-arid Mediterranean climate zone, receiving low-to-medium annual rainfall (typically 325–450mm). The landscape is characterized by the undulating sandplains typical of the Northern Agricultural Region, with soils primarily consisting of deep yellow sands and gravelly loams. These sandy soils are often less productive for traditional cropping but are well-suited to deep-rooted forestry species like maritime pine (Pinus pinaster) or sandalwood, which can access sub-soil moisture.

Woodside Energy Carbon (Services) Pty Ltd is the proponent, marking a diversification in their offset portfolio. While Woodside has previously registered numerous "Native Reforestation" projects focused on permanent environmental plantings in Western Australia, this "Plantation Forestry" project indicates a move into commercial timber offsets. This strategy aligns with the company's broader requirements to offset emissions from its energy operations while potentially supporting a local timber industry.