Willesee Carbon Project

The Willesee Carbon Project is a soil carbon sequestration project located in the Murrindindi Shire of Victoria, approximately 15km southeast of the town of Yea and east of Flowerdale. Registered in August 2022, the project covers 108 hectares of agricultural land. The region is predominantly used for grazing cattle and sheep, characterized by undulating hills and valleys typical of the Central Highlands.

The project operates under the 2021 Soil Carbon Methodology, which credits landholders for measured increases in soil organic carbon stocks. Standard requirements for this method involve baseline soil sampling, followed by the implementation of new management activities designed to boost carbon levels. For the Willesee Carbon Project, these activities include applying synthetic or non-synthetic fertilizers to address nutrient deficiencies, re-establishing pastures through seeding, and altering grazing intensity to improve vegetation cover.

Environmentally, the Murrindindi region experiences a cool temperate climate with moderate to high rainfall, averaging between 700mm and 900mm annually, which supports reliable pasture growth. The local soil landscape is typically comprised of sedimentary-derived soils, often classified as Sodosols or Chromosols. These soils generally feature loamy topsoils overlying clay subsoils, which can be prone to acidity and compaction but respond well to the soil amelioration and pasture improvement techniques employed by the project.