DAC-2015-23

DAC-2015-23 is a Native Forest from Managed Regrowth project located approximately 50km southwest of Bollon and 100km west of Dirranbandi in South West Queensland. It was registered in September 2015 and covers an extensive area of 26,263.72 ha.

Native Forest from Managed Regrowth projects involve allowing native forests to permanently regenerate from in-situ seed sources, such as rootstock and lignotubers. Standard requirements for this methodology dictate the cessation of mechanical or chemical destruction of regrowth and the careful management of the timing and extent of grazing by livestock to ensure the vegetation reaches forest cover.

The South West Queensland region near Dirranbandi and Bollon is well known for large-scale dryland grazing operations, including sheep, cattle, and goats. The area is classified as semi-arid, receiving an average of 500 to 600mm of rainfall annually, and features typical outback soils ranging from red earths and kandosols to cracking clays. These soils predominantly support open Mitchell grass and mulga plains.

Interestingly, this carbon project operates on land that was comprehensively cleared for pastoral use in the past. It sits within the Devine–Oratara Pastoral Property Portfolio, a massive 49,200ha aggregation that went to market in 2020 for an estimated $150 million. The portfolio's sale highlighted that nearly half of its total land area is dedicated to carbon farming projects, demonstrating a significant shift towards integrating carbon revenue with traditional pastoral enterprises. Since its registration, the project participants have varied, transitioning from Devine Agribusiness Pty Ltd to Oratara Pastoral Pty Ltd, and most recently to Pastoral Partners Australia Trusco Pty Limited.