Dalkeith Regeneration Project

Dalkeith Regeneration Project is a Human-Induced Regeneration project located on Dalkeith Station, approximately 130km northwest of Bourke in the Far West region of New South Wales. It was registered in December 2022 and covers 10,578.66 hectares.

Human-Induced Regeneration projects involve establishing permanent, even-aged native forests by altering land management practices to allow native vegetation to recover. A standard requirement of this methodology is that the project occurs on land where vegetation was previously cleared and regrowth suppressed for at least 10 years. For this project, the primary activity to encourage regeneration is the active management of the timing and the extent of livestock grazing.

The Far West region around Bourke is known primarily for expansive pastoral operations, especially cattle and sheep grazing. The area is considered semi-arid with low rainfall, averaging around 350mm annually. Soils in this dry inland region generally consist of red-brown earths (Chromosols), sandy loams, and deep cracking clays (Vertosols) near ephemeral river systems.

This project is notable for establishing permanent native forests through assisted regeneration from resilient in-situ seed sources. This relies heavily on subterranean rootstock and lignotubers that have survived historical land clearing, demonstrating how degraded pastoral land can be transformed into a carbon sink.