Southern Rural Water has released a tender for carbon reforestation offsets to support the transition to our net-zero greenhouse gas emissions target.
The request for tender has been released for site management, weed and pest control, and planting of native trees and shrubs at Lake Glenmaggie in Gippsland and Merrimu Reservoir near Bacchus Marsh.
Assessments have not been completed at Blue Rock Lake in Gippsland. Once we have finalised these assessments, we will consult with the Willow Grove community before making any decisions on plantings at Blue Rock Lake.
Assessments by specialist consultants recommended planting at portions of the Lake Glenmaggie and Merrimu Reservoir sites, with 67 hectares being planted at Merrimu Reservoir, and 15 hectares at Lake Glenmaggie.
The sites will be prepared, with Lake Glenmaggie’s plantings taking place in 2025 and Merrimu Reservoir in 2026.
General Manager, Strategy, People and Culture Elisa Hunter said the carbon reforestation offsets planting announcement was a significant step forward.
“By planting trees to capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, we are doing a small but important part to mitigate the impacts of climate change,” she said.
“We are already reducing our greenhouse gas emissions with the installation of solar panels, transitioning towards electric vehicles and the purchase of green energy.”
Some areas at Lake Glenmaggie and Merrimu Reservoir will be excluded from planting for bushfire management purposes along with land identified as unsuitable for planting. The next stage of planning will include preparing Cultural Heritage Management Plans at each site to protect any culturally significant areas.
Planting will involve a mixture of native and local tree, shrub and understorey species to establish new and permanent forest cover. These projects earn one Australian Carbon Credit Unit (ACCU) for each tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2-e) sequestered by trees as they grow.
A Warragul-based consultancy firm were appointed to undertake a range of assessments, including site suitability, bushfire risk, ecological vegetation class condition and broad cultural heritage.
Read more about carbon reforestation offsets on this page.