Pike Creek Biodiversity and Carbon Project

The Pike Creek Biodiversity and Carbon Project is an environmental planting initiative located on 'Texas Road' in the rural locality of Pike Creek, approximately 50km west of Stanthorpe in the Southern Downs region of Queensland. Registered in August 2021, the project covers a total area of 1,028 hectares, with approximately 538 hectares dedicated to new forest establishment. The property was previously a disused agricultural holding, typical of the surrounding region which is predominantly used for sheep and cattle grazing on native vegetation.

The project operates under the Reforestation by Environmental or Mallee Plantings methodology, which involves establishing permanent plantings of native tree species, such as eucalypts, at densities sufficient to achieve forest cover (typically at least 200 stems per hectare). The specific goal of this project is to restore the landscape by planting over 200,000 native trees, thereby creating habitat for local wildlife and sequestering carbon.

Environmentally, the site sits within the Border Rivers catchment, an area often characterized by "Traprock" country, featuring shallow, stony soils and clay loams, distinct from the sandy granitic soils of the nearby Granite Belt. The region experiences a temperate to semi-arid climate with variable rainfall, making water retention and erosion control critical. Corporate Carbon, the project proponent, highlights that the restoration of riparian zones along Pike Creek aims to improve water quality and support threatened aquatic species like the Murray Cod and Silver Perch.