Yarraden Station

Yarraden Station is a savanna fire management project located at Yarraden Station, approximately two hours west of Musgrave and Coen on the Cape York Peninsula in far north Queensland. It was registered in December 2014 and covers 118,807.65ha.

Savanna fire management projects involve the strategic and planned burning of savanna areas during the early dry season to reduce the risk of late dry season wildfires. By conducting cooler, controlled burns early in the year, proponents reduce fuel loads and avoid the larger greenhouse gas emissions associated with intense, late-season wild fires. The methodology requires calculating historical baselines, managing fire frequency, and monitoring fire scars via satellite to prove emissions reductions.

The Cape York area is known for large-scale beef cattle breeding operations. The area experiences a tropical monsoonal climate with a high-rainfall wet season followed by a prolonged dry season. Soils in the region are generally lower-fertility sandy and clay loams, though some surrounding grazing areas feature heavier clay soils, treeless black soils, and marine plains.

Yarraden Station itself is a historic cattle breeding property with a carrying capacity of roughly 8,000 head, and was historically run as part of a vertically integrated beef operation alongside Holroyd River Station. The carbon project has seen several management changes, with the proponent varying from Country Carbon Pty Ltd to Terra Carbon Pty Limited in 2022, and subsequently to Umlilo Holdings Pty Ltd in 2023. Public records also note that the Clean Energy Regulator accepted an Enforceable Undertaking from the original project manager, Country Carbon, in May 2020.