Polybractea Mallee Project

The Polybractea Mallee Project is a reforestation initiative located approximately 5km northeast of the township of St Arnaud in the Northern Grampians region of Victoria. Registered in June 2014, the project covers 10.43 hectares of land that was previously cleared for agricultural use. The surrounding region of St Arnaud is a well-known rural industrial hub dominated by mixed farming, particularly broadacre cropping and grazing.

The project operates under the "Quantifying Carbon Sequestration by Permanent Mallee Plantings" methodology. This involves establishing permanent plantings of mallee eucalypt species, in this case, specifically Eucalyptus polybractea (Blue Mallee), to sequester carbon. Unlike standard timber plantations, mallee species are multi-stemmed and highly drought-tolerant, making them ideal for long-term carbon storage in drier environments. The carbon abatement is calculated using the Reforestation Modelling Tool (RMT), a specific interface of the Full Carbon Accounting Model (FullCAM) designed for this methodology.

Environmentally, the project sits on the fringe of the Victorian Mallee in a semi-arid zone receiving approximately 500-600mm of average annual rainfall. The local soil profile typically consists of clay loams or sandy loams (often classified as Sodosols or Chromosols), which are characteristic of the transition zone between the goldfields and the Mallee plains.

An interesting note regarding this project is the background of its proponent, Robin Michael Youl. He is a prominent Australian forester and Landcare figure who was awarded an Order of Australia Medal (OAM) in 2012 for his services to conservation. Public records indicate he manages property in the St Arnaud area specifically for habitat conservation and carbon storage, aligning directly with the objectives of this project.