Pikapene Permanent Planting Project

Pikapene Permanent Planting Project is a plantation forestry project located at Pikapene, approximately 40km southwest of Casino in northern New South Wales, within the Clarence Valley local government area. It was registered on February 8, 2026, and covers 231.66ha.

Plantation forestry projects that transition to permanent plantings involve converting an existing commercial plantation forest into a permanent forest. Standard requirements under the 2022 methodology dictate that the plantation must have been at risk of being converted to non-forested land, and the area must be maintained permanently without commercial timber harvesting to ensure carbon remains sequestered.

The Pikapene area is widely known for forestry operations, including the nearby Mount Pikapene National Park and former State Forest areas, as well as grazing and working cattle properties. The region generally experiences a humid subtropical climate with high rainfall. Soils in the area are primarily derived from the Walloon Coal Measures, featuring podsolic clay, siltstone, and coarse sandstone profiles that historically support tall moist forests and dry rainforest gullies.

This project was set up to sequester carbon by ensuring the forest cover remains intact rather than being cleared for alternative land uses. By keeping the trees in the ground, the project, run by Coda Plantation Holdings Pty Ltd, not only permanently stores carbon but also potentially supports local biodiversity, given the broader region's significance as a habitat for threatened native flora and fauna, including koalas.