Wettenhall Carbon Project

The Wettenhall Carbon Project is a soil carbon sequestration project located in the Central West region of New South Wales, approximately 30 kilometers north of the town of Narromine. Registered on July 31, 2023, the project covers a project area of roughly 550 hectares. The surrounding Narromine Shire is a significant agricultural hub, heavily utilized for dryland cropping, producing wheat, canola, and cotton, as well as sheep and cattle grazing.

This project operates under the 2021 Estimation of Soil Organic Carbon Sequestration using Measurement and Models methodology. This method credits landholders for increasing Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) stocks through changes in land management. In this specific instance, the project activities focus on applying synthetic or non-synthetic fertilizers to address material nutrient deficiencies in the soil. By correcting these deficiencies, the project aims to boost plant biomass production, which in turn increases the amount of carbon returned to the soil, ultimately sequestering atmospheric carbon dioxide.

The local environment in the Narromine region is characterized by a semi-arid to temperate climate with a mean annual rainfall of approximately 600mm. The landscape is dominated by Red Chromosols (often referred to as red-brown earths) and Vertosols (cracking clays). These soils, particularly the red earths, are widespread in the region's dryland farming areas but can be prone to hardsetting and nutrient depletion, making them suitable candidates for the remedial nutrient application strategies employed by this project.