Penola Plantations 2026 P26-8 Kerr

Penola Plantations 2026 P26-8 Kerr is a plantation forestry project located approximately 6km southeast of Dergholm and 25km northwest of Casterton in western Victoria, very close to the South Australian border. It was registered in April 2026 and covers a project area of 46.32 hectares.

The project operates under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative-Plantation Forestry) Methodology Determination 2022. This methodology allows for carbon credits to be generated by avoiding the conversion of an existing or recently harvested plantation to non-forested land. The project activities ensure the land continues sequestering carbon by establishing and maintaining a new plantation forest for the commercial harvesting of wood products, instead of allowing the land to be cleared for alternative agricultural uses.

The project is situated in the Green Triangle, one of Australia's premier commercial forestry regions spanning the Victoria and South Australia border. The surrounding regional land use is heavily dominated by commercial softwood plantations, primarily Pinus radiata, interspersed with traditional agriculture such as sheep and cattle grazing. The region experiences a moderate to high rainfall climate, typically receiving between 600mm and 800mm annually, which is highly favorable for forestry operations. The soils in this area are generally characterized as permeable sandy loams, often featuring a sandy A-horizon topsoil over a clay subsoil.

An interesting note about this project is that it is managed by Timberlands Pacific Pty Ltd on behalf of the Green Triangle Forest Operating Sub Trust, which is associated with the global forestry investment manager New Forests. The broader Penola Plantations estate encompasses approximately 47,000 hectares of primarily Radiata Pine and produces around 850,000 tonnes of forest products annually. Beyond commercial logging, Timberlands Pacific incorporates designated High Conservation Value (HCV) areas within the plantation estate to protect local biodiversity, threatened species, wetlands, and remnant native vegetation.