The 2022 plantation forestry method builds on the 2017 plantation forestry method (the 2017 method) to provide more opportunities for the plantation forestry industry to participate in the ACCU Scheme. A project under the 2022 plantation forestry method will accumulate or sequester carbon as the trees grow. For information on closed methods, please visit Closed methods - DCCEEW.
Proponents who are considering undertaking a new plantation forest or an expansion of an existing plantation forest/s may consider seeking approval from the Clean Energy Regulator to declare the proposed project/s as an eligible offsets project and generate ACCUs.
New plantations are commonly established on land previously used for agriculture. To complement the eligibility requirements of the ACCU Scheme Plantation Forestry Method, the Australian Government Minister responsible for Agriculture assesses whether a proposed project/s may lead to an undesirable impact on agricultural production in that region. The requirement applies only to projects involving establishment of a new plantation forest (that is, a project that converts non-forest land to forest). The project could be a new project or the addition of land to an existing project.
To assess the potential for a proposed project to have undesirable impacts on agricultural production, anyone considering undertaking an ACCU Scheme Plantation Forestry Project that converts non-forest land to forest is required to submit an ACCU Scheme Plantation Notification to the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. Please see the questions below to initially determine if your ACCU Scheme project requires a Plantation Notification. Following this initial assessment, please read the guidelines which provide information on the requirements to complete a notification and the associated assessment process. These guidelines should be read in conjunction with the relevant legislation.
Where the Agriculture Minister determines that the project would have an undesirable impact on agricultural production in the region, the project is deemed ineligible.
A notification can be submitted on the same day or up to 18 months prior to submitting a project application to the Clean Energy Regulator.
ACCU Scheme plantation forestry notification guidelines
Download
ACCU plantation forestry notification guidelines (PDF 1.6 MB)
ACCU plantation forestry notification guidelines (DOCX 2.0 MB)
If you have difficulty accessing these files, visit web accessibility for assistance.
Contact us
Email: erfnotification@aff.gov.au
Please be advised: You should receive an email response within 1-3 business days of submitting a notification to the ERF Notification mailbox, confirming if your notification is complete, and therefore able to proceed to the next stage of assessment. If you do not receive a response please contact the Department.