Gas Producer Leads Largest Ever Tree Planting

Natural gas company Woodside has partnered with environmental group Greening Australia to plant more than three million native trees and plants across the Great Southern region of Western Australia.

It is one of the largest single season plantings ever seen in Australia, representing an area of more than 1500 hectares to be replanted as part of Woodside’s ongoing Native Reforestation Project. Planting trees in this fashion can help to offset carbon dioxide emissions as part of industry efforts towards a lower-carbon economy. The project was completed by Woodside and Greening Australia in just three months.

Disused Cowcher farmland located in the WA’s Gondwana Link restoration area was selected for the reforestation, having degraded in soil quality over the years.

Woodside has spent more than $100 million on tree planting projects over the past decade, planting 2400 hectares in WA in 2020 alone, which is expected to save the equivalent of about 700,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere over the next 25 years.

The project is part of Greening Australia’s own goals to plant a staggering 500 million native trees and shrubs in Australia by 2030, saving the equivalent of 1.4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide.

The restoration of the Gondwana Link is also expected to restore critical habitat for threatened fauna, such as the rare malleefowl, Carnaby’s Black Cockatoo and black-gloved wallaby species.

“Fundamental to this work has been the knowledge and expertise of the community for all aspects of the project from the planning to delivery,” said Dr Blair Parsons of Greening Australia. “Embedding local knowledge of the land demonstrates the critical need for collaboration when working to produce outcomes for the community and nature.”

National science institute CSIRO, the Malleefowl Preservation Group, and the Badgebup Aboriginal Corporation also got involved with the replanting project, alongside Noongar community members and local contractors, representing a diverse cross-section of groups coming together for the greater good.