Active forest protection could expand Australia’s carbon sink by 20%
What is Aetium Forestry?
- Aetium Forestry lets owners of Australian forests register, certify and monetise the CO2 reductions their trees sequester.
- If you own a forest, and you protect, grow and nurture it, you deserve to be recognised.
- By combining satellite imagery, AI, spatial ecology, forest structure and land-use history, Aetium Forestry accurately establishes a CO2 reduction baseline for your forest.
- After 12 months, your CO2 sequestration is verified turning your CO2 reductions into certified digital tokens you can sell or retire.
Why register your trees?
- Be recognised for protecting existing forests or planting new trees.
- Be rewarded for their real and measurable carbon value; use the earnings to maintain, manage or regenerate.
- There is no financial risk, no commitment, only potential rewards.
What can you earn for certified CO2 reductions
A maintained 40-hectare forest in East Gippsland can sequester around 50 tonnes of CO2 per year. If certified by Aetium, this could pay you $940 annually*.
| Hectares | CO2 Tonne | Annual Earnings |
| 10 | 12 | $190 |
| 20 | 26 | $380 |
| 30 | 38 | $570 |
| 40 | 50 | $760 |
| 50 | 62 | $940 |
| 60 | 76 | $1,130 |
| 70 | 88 | $1,320 |
| 80 | 100 | $1,510 |
*CO2 pricing for Protected Forest = $15.11 per tonne. Note: this is not a guarantee of future value and pricing is subject to market fluctuations at the time of sale.
Who can benefit?
- The owner of the land.
- If the land is owned by a business, trust, indigenous corporation, council or government department; a duly authorised representative can register on the the entities behalf.
Eligibility
- You need to have at least 50 mature trees
- Your forestry cannot be concurrently registered to another CO2 reduction program
- Land must be located in Australia or its territories.
» Species and canopy detection using AI
How it works?
- Create an Aetium account (personal or organisation), an Australian mobile number is required.
- Share your land details: Address or location, species, land-management practices, bushfire history and ownership.
- Start-the-clock: You receive a public digital certificate of your trees expected CO2 sequestration (your name and address details are kept confidential).
- Certify: After 12 months, we verify the CO2 absorbed according to the Aetium AET Standard.
- Decide: You are issued with tradable Tonne Carbon Units (TCU) that you can sell to preferred buyers or retire. Each TCU is secured on a blockchain registry for all to see.
- Restart-the-clock: register for another 12 months.
Why it matters?
Forests absorb significant CO2 from the atmosphere, but until now, that climate impact couldn’t be formally measured or rewarded.
- Turn your forest ownership into CO2 certificates
- Unlock value and recognition from the trees you own and protect
- Help build trusted, community-led climate action.
Join the movement!
Join a growing community of Australians turning their standing forests into certified climate impact.
Your forest is valuable. Lead the way.
Industry partners
"In a world where too many people say what can't be done - Aetium just get on with it. The Aetium platform has essentially democratised carbon measurement and sale. Its truly visionary and exciting. We're thrilled to be collaborating with the team."
Monique Dawson, CEO
Healthy Forests Foundation
Member feedback
"I I recently registered native bushland on my family property in Gippsland with Aetium. We've always cared about preserving the area for its native flora and fauna, but this was my first hands-on experience with carbon credits. Aetium measured how much CO2 our bushland absorbs and turned that into tradeable credits. These can be sold to individuals or businesses needing to offset emissions - provided they meet strong environmental and ethical standards, which Aetium verifies. You can also choose to retire credits instead of selling them, ensuring your impact is permanent and publicly recognised. It's a win-win: recognition, some income and a healthier planet."
Graeme from Callignee, Victoria
Forestry FAQs
Forest CO2 sequestration is calculated using tree data, remote sensing, land history and environmental risk factors like fire, drought and terrain.
- Tree Characteristics: Type and number of trees, Species and age, Number of mature trees, Tree canopy area
- Remote Sensing & Mapping: LiDAR mapping, Geolocation data, Land topography
- Forest Management & History: Reforestation activities, Land use history, Tree disposal methods
- Environmental Risk Factors: Bushfire exposure, Drought conditions, Tree mortality data
To certify, Aetium use the AET Standard, a retrospective, science-backed, government-aligned carbon accounting model (Fullcam) that accurately tracks over a year the carbon sequestrated from native vegetation and plantations on private land. Verification process includes:
- Geolocation boundaries
- Remote sensing via high-resolution satellite imagery
- Laser light analysis (LiDAR) combined with forest coverage and land type
- Geotagged ground-level photography with tree canopy analysis
- Mortality and removal of any registered trees.
Example: 100 Hectares of old-growth eucalypt forests captures 2 CO2 Tonne per year per hectare = 200 CO2 Tonne saved (The average natural native Australian forest has a carbon sequestration of 0.5-2 tonnes per hectare per year).
We calculate your forest’s annual CO2 reduction using FullCAM, a government-developed model that simulates carbon uptake through photosynthesis based on forest type, climate, and natural disturbances.
We integrate satellite imagery, LiDAR and environmental datasets to estimate carbon stored in trees and losses from decomposition or fire, resulting in a net annual CO2 sequestration figure. Our calculations are grounded in authoritative sources, including:
- Forest, vegetation, biomass and fire datasets from ABARES, NVIS, DISER, and Geoscience Australia
- Peer-reviewed forest science and modelling tools (FullCAM and 3-PG)
- International standards (IPCC 2006 Guidelines) and policy references from Australia and New Zealand
All methodologies are subject to ongoing scientific and policy review to ensure high-integrity CO2 certification.
Yes, you can register existing forests with Aetium. Because we certify retrospectively each year, Aetium accurately measures the CO2 your forest has absorbed.
Unlike traditional carbon schemes that exclude standing forests under outdated "additionality" rules, Aetium recognises their vital role in climate mitigation. This outdated thinking, one reason the Amazon continues to shrink, ignores clear evidence that existing forests sequester significant amounts of CO2.
Countries like Australia, Indonesia, Thailand, Costa Rica, Brazil, India and New Zealand are beginning to reward the value of standing forests. With Aetium, you’re not just protecting your forest, you’re measuring and valuing its real climate impact.
You can register both native and introduced tree species with us.
- Native species: Cypress (Callitris), Eucalyptus, Mangrove, Melaleuca, Rainforest species, She-oak (Casuarina), Wattle (Acacia), and others.
- Introduced species: Jacaranda, Leopard Tree, Liquidambar, Mahogany, Pine, Poinciana, Sycamore, Teak, Plantation hardwood and softwood, and others.
To register them, you need more than 50 mature trees (trunk diameter greater than 20cm).
Once certified, you will be allocated TCUs that represent exactly how much CO2 was saved for the period (stored in trees and soil). You can sell your TCUs on the Aetium Exchange. The AUD value of the TCUs will be transferred to your bank account net of our service fee.
Yes, as an assessable income for individuals and attract GST for businesses.
Unfortunately, you are already part of a carbon offset program (Australian Carbon Credit Unit Scheme). To avoid double-counting your carbon reduction, we cannot register your forestry project.
The Voluntary carbon market is where businesses and people buy credits to offset their own emissions (good will) and achieve carbon neutrality (eg. tree planting, renewable energy). Credits are verified by organisations like Verra, Gold Standard and Aetium.
Australia’s land sector (forests, soils, vegetation) is the largest carbon sinks absorbing 100 Mt CO2 or 20% of the country’s total greenhouse gas emissions annually, helping offset emissions from other sectors like energy and transport. It represents the carbon footprint of 5.3 million Australians (Every Australian represents 18.6 tonnes of CO2 per year).
Once you've registered and established your Forest baseline, you can unlock even greater environmental benefits from your property:
Land Stewardship
- Plant and protect native trees
- Use low-intensity prescribed burning
- Control pests and disease
- Exclude livestock and feral animals
Clean Energy & Technology
- Add solar and battery storage to your property (new Federal battery rebate)
- Consider using electric vehicles and machinery
Aetium is a signatory of the Australian Carbon Industry Code of Conduct (ACI), which is committed to developing an operating a carbon industry built on community trust, transparency, accountability, social and environmental integrity, in compliance with the law.
