Burns Carbon Project

Burns Carbon Project is a Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) project located at Ardgour Station, approximately 120km south of Charleville in South-West Queensland. It was registered in December 2015 and covers an area of 8,282 hectares.

Human-Induced Regeneration projects involve establishing permanent even-aged native forests through assisted regeneration from in-situ seed sources, such as rootstock and lignotubers. This methodology is applied on land that was previously cleared of vegetation and where regrowth was suppressed for at least 10 years prior to the project commencing. Standard requirements involve ceasing degrading land management practices, which for this project involves strictly managing the timing and extent of livestock grazing to allow native vegetation to recover.

The South-West Queensland region around Charleville is historically known for extensive sheep and cattle grazing on native pastures within the mulga lands. The area is semi-arid, experiencing low and highly variable rainfall that is generally summer-dominant. Local soils typically consist of massive red earths known as Kandosols, sandy loams, and localized claypans.

This project was established on a former sheep grazing property that was completely destocked in 2016 following severe drought. Recognising the property's immense ecological value, it was acquired by the Corporate Carbon Group and subsequently incorporated into the Queensland Government's NatureAssist program in 2022, declaring the property as the Ardgour Station Nature Refuge. This formalised a binding conservation agreement supporting long-term ecological protection, which included the removal of 45 kilometres of internal fencing to improve wildlife movement across important local wetlands. Furthermore, ecological and cultural heritage surveys have been actively conducted in collaboration with First Nations Traditional Owners, bringing significant social and environmental co-benefits alongside carbon abatement.