Craven Carbon Farming Project

Craven Carbon Farming Project is a boutique environmental planting project located in the rural locality of Craven, New South Wales. The site sits approximately 15km south of the major township of Gloucester and is situated within the Mid-Coast Council area (formerly Great Lakes). Registered in July 2024, the project covers a small area of 5.87 hectares.

The project operates under the Reforestation by Environmental or Mallee Plantings (FullCAM) methodology. This involves establishing permanent plantings of native tree species on land previously used for agriculture (typically grazing) for at least five years. As a "FullCAM" project, carbon abatement is modelled using the Australian Government's Full Carbon Accounting Model software based on location-specific data, rather than relying solely on manual field measurements. The plantings must generally achieve a density sufficient to reach forest cover (20% crown cover and 2 metres in height).

The Craven and Gloucester region is characteristically a high-rainfall zone, receiving approximately 980mm annually, which supports lush pasture and rapid tree establishment. The regional land use is dominated by beef cattle grazing, dairy farming, and timber operations, alongside nearby extractive industries such as the Stratford Coal Mine. Soils in this hinterland valley are typically heavy clays and loams derived from shale and alluvial deposits. A notable feature of this project is its commitment to a 100-year permanence period, ensuring the trees remain protected for a century, rather than the shorter 25-year option often chosen for commercial flexibility.