Bullock Hills Direct Seeding 2010 and 2012 (Revoked)

Bullock Hills Direct Seeding 2010 and 2012 (Revoked) was an environmental planting project located at the "Bullock Hills" property near Moyston, approximately 20km southwest of Ararat in Western Victoria. Registered in December 2012, the project covered 31.76 hectares of land historically used for agriculture. The project operated under the early Carbon Farming Initiative (CFI) before being revoked in June 2015.

The project area is situated in the Grampians region, an area characterized by a temperate climate with distinct wet and dry seasons. Rainfall in the Moyston district typically averages around 630mm annually. The local terrain often features clay loam soils derived from sedimentary and granite origins; the proponents have specifically described the property as containing granite and sedimentary country with massive granite boulders. The broader region is heavily utilized for grazing (wool and beef) and broadacre cropping.

The project utilized the Quantifying Carbon Sequestration by Permanent Environmental Plantings of Native Tree Species using the CFI Reforestation Modelling Tool methodology. This method involved establishing native vegetation, either through direct seeding or planting, on land that had been clear of forest for at least five years. The carbon sequestered was calculated using the Reforestation Modelling Tool (RMT), a computer model designed to estimate biomass based on location-specific climate and soil data. Standard requirements for such projects included planting at a density sufficient to achieve "forest cover" status (potential to reach 2 meters in height and 20% crown cover).

The project proponents, Peter and Christine Forster, are well-known advocates for sustainable farming and Landcare in the region. They have frequently hosted field days at Bullock Hills to demonstrate how biodiversity plantings can be integrated into a working farm system to provide shelter for livestock and improve soil health. The project was revoked under Section 33 of the CFI Act, which indicates a voluntary revocation requested by the proponent, often done when a project is no longer commercially viable or the landholder wishes to exit the scheme without penalty.