Dunns Plains Reforestation Project

Dunns Plains Reforestation Project is an environmental planting project located in the locality of Dunns Plains near Rockley, approximately 35 kilometers south of Bathurst in the Central Tablelands of New South Wales. Registered in July 2024, the project covers a substantial area of 226.63 hectares.

Operating under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative) (Reforestation by Environmental or Mallee Plantings, FullCAM) Methodology Determination 2014, the project involves establishing permanent plantings of mixed native tree species. This methodology requires planting at a density sufficient to achieve forest cover (typically defined as 20% crown cover at a height of at least 2 meters) and uses the FullCAM model to estimate carbon sequestration rather than direct field measurements.

The Rockley and Bathurst region is historically dominated by agricultural grazing, particularly for sheep and cattle, and the project site itself was used for agriculture for at least five years prior to registration. The area experiences a temperate climate with distinct seasons, including cold winters with frequent frosts and an average annual rainfall ranging between 650mm and 750mm. The soils in this part of the Central Tablelands are often characterized as loams or clay loams derived from granite or basalt parent materials, which support the native mixed-species vegetation selected for this project.

The project is facilitated by Carbon Stock Pty Ltd, an independent consultancy specializing in environmental plantings and natural capital assessments, on behalf of the proponent Christine Ann McIntosh.