Quimby Forest Regeneration Project

Quimby Forest Regeneration Project is a Human-Induced Regeneration project located in the Paroo Shire, southwest of Cunnamulla in South West Queensland. It was registered in June 2018 and covers a substantial area of 26,442.83 hectares.

Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) projects involve regenerating permanent native forests on land where vegetation was previously cleared and where regrowth was suppressed for at least 10 years prior to the project commencing. To generate Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs), these projects must achieve specific native forest cover requirements, typically defined as trees reaching a height of at least 2 metres and achieving a minimum 20% crown cover.

The Paroo Shire area is heavily utilised for pastoral operations, predominantly broadacre cattle and sheep grazing. The region's environment is considered semi-arid, typically receiving a low average annual rainfall of 300mm to 400mm. The local landscape features alluvial floodplains and channel country dominated by clay soils (Vertosols), alongside mulga and spinifex sandplains featuring sandy, stony soils (Tenosols).

This project aims to establish permanent native forests through assisted regeneration directly from in-situ seed sources, including resilient rootstock and lignotubers. The project achieves this by ceasing any mechanical or chemical destruction of regrowth and carefully managing the timing and extent of livestock grazing. Interestingly, the project's registered proponent shifted from Tacora Agri Pty Ltd to Prove Pastoral GP Pty Ltd in January 2024. This transfer followed a commercial legal dispute between the two agricultural entities in the Brisbane Supreme and District Courts in late 2023. Furthermore, carbon credits generated by the Quimby Forest project have been utilised by financial groups such as AllianceBernstein for their Managed Volatility Equities Carbon Offset Class to offset portfolio emissions.