Landholder FAQs

Carbon Positive Australia supports landholders to develop ecologically sensitive large-scale biodiverse environmental plantings. We work with landholders to ensure that the planting not only sequesters carbon but that it brings measurable other long term benefits.  We specialise in providing ecological restoration, planting biodiverse Australian Sandalwood and planting on land that is salt impacted.

With almost 20 years of experience and having worked with over 100 landholders across 5,000 hectares, we are expert in revegetation, reforestation carbon offsets and environmental plantings.

What Kind of Land Is Suitable?

Generally our planting sites will be:

  • Over 20 hectares (this can be total over adjoining properties if several landholders would like to participate)
  • Biodiverse restoration projects working with the native environment (we do not plant monocultures)
  • Land that has been cleared prior to 1990
  • Areas with 200mm+ rainfall
  • Undertaken with a Carbon Covenant in place protecting the trees for 25+ years

What are the benefits As a Landowner?

Allowing Carbon Positive to plant on your land has many benefits, including:

  1. Carbon Positive Australia pays for all costs of the planting, including site preparation, seedlings, planting, monitoring and infill planting where necessary.
  2. The values of trees on rural land can include:
    • Reduction of salinity and water logging
    • Reduction of erosion
    • Habitat restoration for flora and fauna
  3. We have developed a model in areas suitable to Australian Sandalwood whereby we plant a 25% to 75% mix:
    • The landowner can eventually harvest the 25% sandalwood planting
    • The remaining 75% is kept for ecological restoration and carbon capture
  4. The grazing of sheep is allowed after 3 years
    • The mature trees provide shade and shelter for stock
  5. In some circumstances, Carbon Positive Australia will pay landowners incentives to assist them to plant.

What Role Does Each Party Play in the Partnership?

Carbon Positive Australia will:

  1. Select suitable species
  2. Acquire the seeds and seedlings
  3. Prepare the site
  4. Recruit expert planting contractors
  5. Administer the carbon covenant *(see below)
  6. Fund the whole cost of site preparation and planting

The Landholder will:

  1. Maintain fences and firebreaks
  2. Take all reasonable steps to manage pests which may damage trees
  3. Not to harm the trees, or allow other people to harm the trees
  4. Contact Carbon Positive Australia if there is a threat to the trees
  5. Allow our site managers reasonable access
  6. Take adequate fire risk precautions in compliance with local fire management bylaws and guidelines.
Additional information

No. Carbon Positive Australia pays for all planting costs including site preparation, seedlings, planting, monitoring, and infill planting where necessary.

Once all obligations are fulfilled by both parties, the planting can be left so that nature can take its course.  We will need to access the site to monitor growth over the first 3 years. If the survival rate is low at first monitoring, we will assess whether to restock the area.  Site management after the planting will be documented in the contract.

Only sheep are allowed for light grazing after three years, if there is no damage to the trees and shrubs.

A Landowner Agreement will need to be signed to allow us to register a Carbon Right and a Carbon Covenant over the areas planted.  The Carbon Right and Carbon Covenant affect only the land which has been planted and is defined in a surveyed Deposited Plan with GPS co-ordinates.

The covenant length is 100 years on Environment Plantings and 25 years for Biodiverse Farm Forestry Sandalwood plantings. These are the terms required under the Emission Reduction Fund to assure permanence of the carbon sequestration.

The Carbon Right deed assigns all carbon sequestered to Carbon Positive Australia, which means that the landowner cannot sell carbon credits from the site. The Carbon Right is an encumbrance registered on the land title which does not remove the land owner’s ownership of the land or the trees, or affect any other benefits and products from the trees. 

If there is a mortgage on the land, then the financial institution will need to consent to the registration of the Carbon Right and Carbon Covenant. The Carbon Right and the Carbon Covenant remain over the site regardless of change in ownership of the land.

A landowner might be liable for damages to Carbon Positive Australia if they breach their obligations. Carbon Positive Australia’s main concern is to ensure that trees are not intentionally damaged or removed.

To plant trees, we use funds donated by individuals and groups. This funding meets the planting and monitoring costs for your site. In some instances, we are able to offer incentives to landholders to plant with us. This depends on a range of factors. For more information, contact us here.

Absolutely. However, the Carbon Right is an encumbrance registered on the land title which, along with the Carbon Covenant, remain over the planting site regardless of change in ownership.

It is the responsibility of the landholder to take adequate precautions regarding fire risk in compliance with local fire management bylaws and guidelines. The landholder is not liable for loss or damage to trees caused by accidental fire. Where loss due to fire is caused by, or contributed to, by any act or omission by the landholder, then the loss should be covered by the landholder’s public liability insurance.

Carbon Positive Australia would seek to transfer its assets and all Carbon Rights and Carbon Covenants to another not-for-profit institution in Australia which has similar environmental objectives.