Irwin Park and Lockesley Carbon Farm

Irwin Park and Lockesley Carbon Farm is a plantation forestry project located in the Shire of Irwin, approximately 30km east of Dongara and 90km southeast of Geraldton in Western Australia's Mid West region. Registered in May 2023, the project originally covered an area of 4,502.42 hectares, though a variation in May 2024 removed some designated areas from the project bounds. The project is managed by Outback Carbon Pty Ltd, a subsidiary of Mitsui E&P Australia (MEPAU).

The project operates under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative-Plantation Forestry) Methodology Determination 2022. This project type involves sequestering carbon by establishing and maintaining a new plantation forest on land where no forest previously existed, specifically for the commercial harvesting of wood products. Standard requirements for this methodology dictate that the trees must achieve a minimum stocking density to reach forest cover, generally defined as having the potential to reach at least 2 meters in height with a 20% crown cover at maturity.

The Shire of Irwin and the surrounding Mid West region are traditionally known for broadacre cropping and livestock grazing. The environment features a Mediterranean to semi-arid climate, with the property receiving an average annual rainfall of approximately 408mm. The Irwin Park portion of the project is situated on sandy loam soils and is regularly buffeted by the coastal winds typical of the district.

An interesting aspect of this project is Outback Carbon's integrated land management model. Rather than planting "wall-to-wall" trees, the project combines forestry with traditional agriculture. The trees provide valuable shade, shelter, and salinity mitigation, while unplanted premium agricultural soils can be leased to neighbouring farmers for grazing or inter-row cropping. Furthermore, once the newly established trees are robust enough, the proponent plans to introduce local grazing stock to naturally manage weeds among the plantations.