Carbon Sequestration from Revegetation: Southern Murray-Darling Basin Region, DWLBC Report 2010/02
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DWLBC Technical Report Carbon Sequestration from Revegetation: Southern Murray-Darling Basin Region ISBN: 978-1-921528-57-6 DWLBC Report: 2010/02 i 2 0 1 0 | technical report Carbon Sequestration from Revegetation: Southern Murray-Darling Basin Region Trevor J. Hobbs, Craig R. Neumann and Merv Tucker Agricultural Landscapes Program, Land Management Unit, Department of Water, Land and Biodiversity Conservation February 2010 Report DWLBC 2010/02 Agricultural Landscapes Program, Land Management Unit Department of Water, Land and Biodiversity Conservation Waite Road, Urrbrae, SA 5064 GPO Box 2834, Adelaide SA 5001 Telephone National (08) 8463 6946 International +61 8 8463 6946 Fax National (08) 8463 6999 International +61 8 8463 6999 Website www.dwlbc.sa.gov.au Disclaimer The Department of Water, Land and Biodiversity Conservation and its employees do not warrant or make any representation regarding the use, or results of the use, of the information contained herein as regards to its correctness, accuracy, reliability, currency or otherwise. The Department of Water, Land and Biodiversity Conservation and its employees expressly disclaims all liability or responsibility to any person using the information or advice. Information contained in this document is correct at the time of writing. © Government of South Australia, through the Department of Water, Land and Biodiversity Conservation 2010 This work is Copyright. Apart from any use permitted under the Copyright Act 1968 (Cwlth), no part may be reproduced by any process without prior written permission obtained from the Department of Water, Land and Biodiversity Conservation. Requests and enquiries concerning reproduction and rights should be directed to the Chief Executive, Department of Water, Land and Biodiversity Conservation, GPO Box 2834, Adelaide SA 5001. ISBN 978-1-921528-57-6 Preferred way to cite this publication Hobbs TJ, Neumann CR, Tucker M, 2010, Carbon Sequestration from Revegetation: Southern Murray-Darling Basin Region, DWLBC Report 2010/02, Government of South Australia, through Department of Water, Land and Biodiversity Conservation, Adelaide & Future Farm Industries Cooperative Research Centre. Download this document at: http://www.dwlbc.sa.gov.au/publications/reports/html FOREWORD South Australia’s unique and precious natural resources are fundamental to the economic and social wellbeing of the State. It is critical that these resources are managed in a sustainable manner to safeguard them both for current users and for future generations. The Department of Water, Land and Biodiversity Conservation (DWLBC) strives to ensure that our natural resources are managed so that they are available for all users, including the environment. In order for us to best manage these natural resources it is imperative that we have a sound knowledge of their condition and how they are likely to respond to management changes. DWLBC scientific and technical staff continues to improve this knowledge through undertaking investigations, technical reviews and resource modelling. Scott Ashby CHIEF EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT OF WATER, LAND AND BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION Report DWLBC 2010/02 iii Carbon Sequestration from Revegetation: Southern Murray-Darling Basin Region ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The authors would like to acknowledge the Complementary State NRM Program 2008-09 and SA Department of Water, Land and Biodiversity Conservation (DWLBC) for funding this project. Support for this project was also provided by the Future Farm Industries Cooperative Research Centre – New Woody Crop Industries Program. We are grateful to landholders in the Southern Murray-Darling Basin region for access to their revegetation sites, especially; Steven Anderson (Mt. Pleasant), Peter Atkinson (Mt. Beevor), Peter & Mig Brookman (Keith), Lester & Kay Cattle (Netherton), Myles & Chris Clarke (Springton), Anna Glynn & Andrew Cawley (Mt Pleasant), Grant Dabinett (Parilla), Jim Downer (Harrogate), Bill Evans (Keyneton), Fiona Flavel (Mobilong), Sue & John Holt (Eden Valley), Phillip Hyde (Pinnaroo), Ian Johnson (Culburra), Les Maynard (Parilla), Trevor Pfeiffer (Parrakie), David & Michael Redhead (Mt. Pleasant), Dennis Roberts (Karoonda), John Rollond (Rockleigh), Brian Teakle (Karoonda), Clem Tynan (Sherlock), E.J. & D.J. Woidt (Sherlock), Gerald Woidt (Yumali), Nick Woods (Borrika), and Kym Wyatt (Macclesfield). We greatly appreciate the support of Ivan Clarke (Rural Solutions), Phil Collins (State Flora Murray Bridge), Steve Coombe (Eastern Hills and Murray Plains Catchment Group Inc.), Rowena Danks (Murray Mallee Local Action Planning Association), Glenn Dean (Rural City of Murray Bridge), Ian Filmer (Coorong and Mallee Farm Forestry Network), Glenn Gale (DWLBC), Graham Gates, (Coorong Districts Local Action Planning Association), David Hein (Trees For Life), Tim Herrmann (DWLBC), Janet Kuys (Rural Solutions), Aimee Linke (Mid Murray Local Action Planning Association) Ray O'Malley (O'Malley Planting), Bernie Omodei (Trees For Life), Tony Randall (Goolwa to Wellington Local Action Planning Board Inc.), Maureen Redfern (Trees For Life), Kathryn Rothe (Mannum to Wellington Local Action Planning Committee), Susan Sweeney (DWLBC) and Rob Wallace (DWLBC). We are indebted to Trees For Life for their willingness to provide us access to native plants sales and distribution information for South Australia. Thanks to Barbara Afford, Carol Dawson, Jeff Fairlamb, Fiona Flavel, Don Green, Ray Hutchinson, Dennis Searle, Barbara Veit, Naomi Ward and Lance Holberton (DWLBC), and Shaun Johnson and Kylie Neumann for their efforts in field measurements. We would also like to thank Julie Dean for her work in laboratory processing and Kylie Neumann for her additional data entry work. Report DWLBC 2010/02 iv Carbon Sequestration from Revegetation: Southern Murray-Darling Basin Region CONTENTS FOREWORD.........................................................................................................................iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .....................................................................................................iv SUMMARY............................................................................................................................ix 1. INTRODUCTION.............................................................................................................1 1.1 NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND CARBON SEQUESTRATION FROM REVEGETATION......................................................................................................1 1.2 BACKGROUND AND RATIONALE ..........................................................................3 1.2.1 Purpose of Revegetation .....................................................................................................4 1.2.2 Carbon Assessments...........................................................................................................5 1.2.3 Carbon Accounting ..............................................................................................................6 2. IDENTIFICATION OF LOCAL REVEGETATION SPECIES AND ACTIVITIES...............9 2.1 LOCAL NATIVE SPECIES........................................................................................9 2.2 SPECIES USED IN REVEGETATION....................................................................11 2.3 REVEGETATION ACTIVITIES ...............................................................................13 2.4 RECOMMENDED SPECIES ..................................................................................14 2.4.1 Productive Species ............................................................................................................14 2.4.2 Environmental Plantings ....................................................................................................16 3. DEVELOPMENT OF CARBON ASSESSMENT METHODS.........................................17 3.1 ASSESSING ABOVE-GROUND PLANT BIOMASS ...............................................17 3.2 ALLOMETRIC ASSESSMENT TECHNIQUES .......................................................18 3.2.1 Sampling ............................................................................................................................19 3.2.2 Biometrics ..........................................................................................................................22 3.2.3 Allometric Relationships.....................................................................................................22 4. PRODUCTIVITY AND CARBON SEQUESTRATION FROM REVEGETATION ...........29 4.1 ASSESSMENT OF PLANTATION PRODUCTIVITY...............................................29 4.2 PREDICTING PLANTATION PRODUCTIVITY .......................................................36 4.3 REVIEW OF NCAT FULLCAM MODEL PREDICTIONS.........................................46 4.3.1 NCAT FullCAM Model........................................................................................................46 4.3.2 Accuracy of NCAT FullCAM Predictions............................................................................48 4.4 REGIONAL CARBON SEQUESTRATION RATES.................................................51 5. DISCUSSION ................................................................................................................57 5.1 CARBON MARKETS, DRIVERS AND POLICIES...................................................57 5.2 CARBON ACCOUNTING, ASSESSMENTS AND MODELS...................................59 5.3 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS .......................................................61