The Carbon Market Institute welcomes today’s release by DEECCW of the updated “Reforestation by Environmental or Mallee Plantings” (Environmental Plantings) method in time for the planting season in 2025.
The method has been recommended by the independent Emissions Reduction Assurance Committee against the legislated Offsets Integrity Standards and approved by the Assistant Minister for Climate Change and Energy, the Hon Josh Wilson MP.
The Environmental Plantings method is part of the Australian Carbon Credit Unit (ACCU) Scheme; ACCUs are awarded to projects based on carbon sequestered in trees as they grow.
The new method is an update of the 2014 Environmental Plantings method, which expired on 30 September 2024. Farmers and landowners have been waiting for its update to register new projects and start planting this season.
“The timely release of the method paves the way for landholders to start planting native species or mallee trees now to generate carbon credits through forest regeneration,” said John Connor, CMI CEO.
“CMI and members have actively supported the upgrade of this method and particularly pushed for acceleration as the planting season is upon us. There is need for investment in seeds and seedlings to accelerate the removal available under this method.”
“New Environmental Plantings projects are not only important for landowners and farmers, but also for other participants in the ACCU market, such as Safeguard-covered entities, to have carbon credit inventory to purchase.”
Climate Minister Bowen flagged progress on this method in his address to CMI’s Australasian Emission Reduction Summit last month as part of a welcome boost in momentum in reforming and bolstering the integrity of Australia’s carbon crediting mechanism following the Independent ACCU Review.
The updated Environmental Plantings method is also notable as the first determination made by Assistant Minister Wilson, whose role now has direct portfolio responsibility for ACCU crediting framework improvements, which is also a welcome reform and added focus from the Government.
ACCU methods are legislative instruments under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative) Act 2011 (CFI Act) and the new Environmental Plantings method is available here.
Further information on the method including advice from integrity guardian the Emission Reduction Assurance Committee is available here.
