Maitland Downs

Maitland Downs is a Savanna Fire Management project located on Maitland Downs Station in Far North Queensland, approximately 40km south of Lakeland and 100km northwest of Mareeba along the Mulligan Highway. The project was registered in January 2018 and covers a significant project area of roughly 69,775 hectares. The station is a pastoral lease primarily used for cattle grazing, situated within the Cook Shire local government area.

The project operates under the 2015 Emissions Abatement through Savanna Fire Management methodology. This involves conducting strategic, cool burns during the early dry season (typically before August) to reduce the fuel load of grasses and vegetation. By managing fuel loads early, the project aims to prevent uncontrolled, high-intensity wildfires during the late dry season, which release significantly more greenhouse gases. The project explicitly covers both high and low rainfall zones, indicating the property straddles the 1000mm annual rainfall isohyet typical of this tropical savanna region.

Environmental conditions in this area are characterized by a distinct wet and dry tropical climate. The region features a mix of rugged ridges and alluvial valleys, with soils likely ranging from low-fertility skeletal soils on higher ground to fertile red basaltic earths (Ferrosols) in the lower grazing areas, similar to the nearby Lakeland Downs agricultural district. The proponent, Terra Carbon Pty Limited (a subsidiary of the GreenCollar Group), assumed the role in 2022, managing the carbon abatement activities on behalf of the station.