Blairmore Native Forest Regeneration Project

Blairmore Native Forest Regeneration Project is a Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) project located approximately 75km east of Cunnamulla in the Paroo Shire of South West Queensland. Registered in May 2018, the project spans a substantial area of 16,514 hectares. The site sits within the Mulga Lands bioregion, an area historically dominated by rangeland agriculture, specifically sheep and cattle grazing.

The project operates under the Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) methodology. This method is designed to regenerate native forest cover on land where vegetation has been suppressed for at least 10 years, typically due to agricultural activities like overgrazing or mechanical clearing. To be eligible, the land must have "forest potential," meaning the native species present (such as Mulga or Poplar Box) are capable of reaching a height of 2 meters and a canopy cover of 20%. The primary activity for this project involves managing the timing and extent of grazing to reduce pressure on young vegetation, allowing natural regeneration to occur without the need for manual planting.

Environmentally, the region is classified as semi-arid to arid, with a low and highly variable rainfall averaging between 300mm and 400mm annually. The landscape is characterized by red earth soils (Kandosols), sandy loams, and hard-setting clay pans. These conditions support the growth of hardy native species like Acacia aneura (Mulga), which regenerate from in-situ seed sources, including underground lignotubers and rootstock, once grazing pressure is alleviated.

An interesting aspect of this project is its reliance on "in-situ" regeneration sources. Unlike environmental planting projects where seedlings are introduced, this project nurtures the existing, suppressed root systems and seed banks already present in the soil. By controlling livestock access, the project allows these dormant or stunted plants to mature into a permanent forest, sequestering carbon while simultaneously improving soil stability and biodiversity in a region often challenged by drought.