Yaloak Estate Environmental Plantings #2 Project (Revoked)

Yaloak Estate Environmental Plantings #2 Project (Revoked) is a permanent mixed-species environmental planting project located at the Yaloak Estate in Fiskville, near Ballan and Bacchus Marsh, approximately 60km northwest of Melbourne in Victoria. It was registered in March 2015 and covers a vast project area of 5741.66 hectares. The region's land use is predominantly agricultural, characterized by extensive sheep grazing, dryland cropping, and wind energy generation, with the estate itself historically renowned for hosting the Yaloak Polo Club.

Environmental planting projects under the FullCAM methodology involve establishing permanent plantings of a mix of native or mallee tree species. These projects require planting trees at a sufficient density to achieve a forest cover threshold, which generally means reaching a height of at least two meters and a canopy cover of at least 20 percent, typically requiring a density of at least 200 stems per hectare.

The Ballan and Bacchus Marsh region falls within Victoria's high rainfall zone, typically receiving over 500mm of annual rainfall. The soil profile at Yaloak Estate is largely comprised of duplex sodosols, featuring basalt clay-loam topsoils over heavy sodic clays. These soil types can present agricultural and planting challenges, as they are prone to seasonal waterlogging and restricted root growth due to the highly dispersive nature of the subsoils.

This project was originally established to plant locally native tree species on land that had been predominantly used for agricultural purposes for at least five years prior to commencement. Despite successfully securing Carbon Abatement Contract CAC582383 in April 2015, which has now been completed, the project registration was ultimately revoked in March 2018 under section 33 of the CFI Act. As an interesting footnote, the underlying property, Yaloak Estate, is a historic and massive 5071-hectare landholding that was recently acquired by a foreign-backed agricultural firm for a reported $60 million.