Don Stanley Reforestation Project (Revoked)

Don Stanley Reforestation Project (Revoked) was a reforestation and afforestation project spanning multiple sites across the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia (including Merredin, Mukinbudin, Westonia, and Perenjori) and the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia, near the town of Kimba. Registered in January 2014, the project covered a total area of 1,141.21 hectares. The region's land has been extensively cleared and is primarily used for broadacre agricultural purposes, such as dryland wheat and canola cropping, as well as sheep grazing.

Reforestation and Afforestation projects under the 2013 Methodology involve establishing permanent tree plantings on land that was previously clear of forest for at least five years. To generate carbon credits, the methodology requires proponents to establish species that have the potential to reach forest cover, typically a height of at least two metres and a crown cover of 20%, sequestering carbon as the woody biomass and debris grow over time.

The environment across both the WA Wheatbelt and the Eyre Peninsula features a semi-arid, Mediterranean climate characterised by hot, dry summers and low, winter-dominant rainfall. The soils are predominantly sandy loams, duplex soils (sand over clay), and lateritic gravels. Because of extensive historical land clearing, these regions are highly susceptible to dryland salinity. To combat this, the project established permanent plantings of deep-rooted mallee eucalypt species (Eucalyptus loxophleba, Eucalyptus kochii, and Eucalyptus polybractea) which are highly effective at lowering the water table and restoring saline soils.

An interesting aspect of this project involves its proponent, Kochii Eucalyptus Oil Pty Ltd. The planted Eucalyptus kochii trees are uniquely valuable as their leaves possess the highest natural levels of cineole (eucalyptol) of any eucalyptus species, ranging from 90–95%. Unfortunately, the carbon project was ultimately unsuccessful. In May 2017, the proponent requested to transition the project to a 25-year permanence period, requiring the relinquishment of 978 Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs). By early 2018, the Clean Energy Regulator required the relinquishment of the remaining 3,916 ACCUs, completely offsetting the 4,894 total credits the project had been issued. The project was officially revoked in March 2018 under section 30 of the CFI Rule.