Carlson Springs Carbon

Carlson Springs Carbon is a soil carbon sequestration project located in the rolling foothills of the Strzelecki Ranges in South Gippsland, Victoria. The property sits approximately 6 kilometers north of the township of Fish Creek and roughly 160 kilometers southeast of Melbourne. Registered in July 2017, the project covers 227 hectares of productive grazing land. The surrounding region is renowned for its reliable high rainfall and lush pastures, supporting a strong agricultural sector dominated by dairy and beef cattle farming.

The project operates under the Estimation of Soil Organic Carbon Sequestration using Measurement and Models (2021) methodology. Originally established under the 2014 determination, it transitioned to this updated framework in January 2026. This methodology generates Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) by measuring physical increases in soil carbon stocks. To achieve this, the project employs activities such as applying lime to remediate soil acidity, introducing legumes to rejuvenate pastures, and altering grazing intensity to maintain optimal vegetation cover. These management changes are designed to boost plant photosynthesis and root mass, thereby drawing more carbon from the atmosphere into the soil profile.

Environmentally, the Fish Creek area sits within a high-rainfall zone, typically receiving between 900mm and 1000mm annually. The soils in this region are often deep, fertile Ferrosols (Red soils) or Grey Dermosols (clay loams) derived from the weathering of the Strzelecki ranges. While naturally productive, these soils can be prone to acidification, which explains the project's specific focus on lime application as a remediation strategy to unlock further carbon storage potential.

A significant administrative restructuring occurred in early 2025, when the project proponent role was transferred from Corporate Carbon Solutions to Agriprove Solutions. Agriprove, originally a specialized spin-off of Corporate Carbon, focuses exclusively on soil carbon development. This transfer, combined with the recent migration to the 2021 methodology, indicates a move to modernize the project's compliance framework and utilize more advanced measurement protocols to verify carbon gains.