Don Stanley Reforestation Project (Revoked)

Don Stanley Reforestation Project (Revoked) is a Reforestation and Afforestation project located primarily in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, spanning areas near Mukinbudin, Merredin, and Westonia (approximately 260-300km northeast of Perth), with an additional area mapped near Kimba in South Australia. It was registered in January 2014 and covers 1,141.21 hectares.

Reforestation and Afforestation projects under the Carbon Farming Initiative involve establishing permanent plantings of native trees on land that was previously used for agricultural purposes. To generate carbon credits, these plantings must be established at a density and scale that gives them the potential to achieve forest cover, typically defined as reaching a minimum height of two metres and a crown cover of at least 20%. In this project, the proponent established multi-stemmed mallee eucalypt species, specifically Eucalyptus loxophleba, Eucalyptus kochii, and Eucalyptus polybractea.

The Western Australian Wheatbelt region is traditionally known for broadacre cropping and sheep grazing. It is a semi-arid environment, typically receiving low rainfall of around 250-300mm (10-12 inches) annually. The deeply weathered, ancient soils in these regions are often sandy loams that are highly susceptible to wind erosion and dryland salinity. Native mallee tree plantings are frequently integrated into these farming systems to help mitigate environmental degradation by acting as shelterbelts and lowering the water table.

An interesting fact about this project is its strong connection to the local eucalyptus oil and renewables industry. The project was operated by Kochii Eucalyptus Oil Pty Ltd (now associated with Fasera), a company that produces premium eucalyptus oil from farm-grown mallee trees. The company uses the waste biomass from the steam distillation process to generate biochar, wood vinegar, and renewable electricity via pyrolysis. Additionally, the project was named in honour of the late Don Stanley, a local farmer who pioneered the planting of oil mallee trees in the north-eastern Wheatbelt over 30 years ago to remediate over-cleared farmland.

Despite its environmental initiatives, the project faced regulatory actions leading to its revocation. In May 2017, the Clean Energy Regulator issued a notice when the proponent requested to transition the project to a 25-year permanence period, resulting in the relinquishment of 978 Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs). Subsequently, in February 2018, the Regulator required the relinquishment of an additional 3,916 ACCUs under section 88 of the CFI Act. The project was officially revoked shortly after in March 2018 under section 30 of the CFI Rule.