Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative—Reforestation and Afforestation 2.0) Methodology Determination 2015 (Cth)

Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative—Reforestation and Afforestation 2.0) Methodology Determination 2015 I, Greg Hunt, Minister for the Environment, make the following determination.

Dated 8 : 5: 2015

GREG HUNT

Greg Hunt Minister for the Environment

Contents Part 1 —Preliminary 6 1 Name 6 2 Commencement 6 3 Authority 6 4 Duration 6 5 Definitions 6 6 References to factors and parameters from external sources 12 Part 2 —Permanent planting projects 13 7 Permanent planting projects 13 Part 3 —Project requirements 14 8 Operation of this Part 14 9 Location 14 10 Project area to include eligible land 14 11 Project mechanisms 14 12 Removal of trees 14 13 Preparation burns 15 14 Restrictions relating to fertiliser use 15 15 Requirements for pre-existing project 15 16 Requirement in lieu of regulatory additionality requirement 16 Part 4 —Stratification, estimating project removals and calculating project emissions 17 Division 1 —Defining strata and delineating boundaries 17 17 Defining strata in the project area 17 18 Delineating stratum boundaries 19 19 Growth disturbances and revision of strata 19 20 Effect of change in stratum boundaries 21 21 Reporting on newly established and superseded strata 21 Division 2 —Estimating project removals 22 Subdivision 1 —General 22 22 General 22 Subdivision 2 —Outline—conducting full inventory or PSP assessment 22 23 Outline of steps—conducting full inventory or PSP assessment 22 Subdivision 3 —Sampling plans 23 24 Developing and documenting a sampling plan 23 25 Sampling plan information for full inventory and PSP assessment 23 26 Sampling plan information for stratum specific functions 24 27 Sampling plan information for regional functions 24 Subdivision 4 —Ex ante estimate of minimum number of TSPs or PSPs 25 28 Operation of Subdivision 25 29 Target probable limits of error for full inventory and PSP assessment 25 30 Ex ante estimate of minimum number of TSPs or PSPs 25 Subdivision 5 —Determining the location of TSPs and PSPs 26 31 Operation of Subdivision 26 32 Determining potential plot locations 26 33 Selecting a subset from the potential plot locations 27 34 Determining intended location coordinates of TSPs and PSPs 27 Subdivision 6 —Establishing plots 27 35 Operation of Subdivision 27 36 Establishing plots 28 37 Plot configuration 28 38 Plot size 28 39 Identifying and marking plots 28 40 Dealing with plots located close to stratum boundaries 29 41 Edge plots 29 Subdivision 7 —Visiting TSPs and PSPs and collecting data 30 42 Operation of Subdivision 30 43 Plot visits during full inventory 30 44 Plot visits during PSP assessment 30 45 Collection of information during plot visits 30 Subdivision 8 —Estimation of biomass 30 46 Operation of Subdivision 30 47 Estimation of biomass 30 48 Estimation of carbon stock 31 49 Plot carbon stock for edge plots 31 50 Assessment of plots if pilot inventory was conducted 31 Subdivision 9 —Ex post analysis of plots 31 51 Operation of Subdivision 31 52 Ex post analysis—probable limit of error 31 53 Ex post analysis—plot location and size 32 Subdivision 10 —Proceeding when requirements of ex post analysis met 32 54 Operation of Subdivision 32 55 Estimation of carbon stock—full inventory 32 56 Estimation of carbon stock—PSP assessment 32 Subdivision 11 —Proceeding when requirements of ex post analysis not met 33 57 Operation of Subdivision 33 58 How to proceed if target probable limit of error not met 33 59 How to proceed if plot location tolerance or size requirement not met 33 Subdivision 12 —Allometric functions 33 60 Applying allometric functions 33 61 Allometric domain 34 62 Regression fitting 34 63 Minimum data requirements 35 64 Minimum regression fit requirements 35 65 Variance of weighted residuals 36 66 Allometric report 36 Subdivision 13 —Allometric functions for live trees 36 67 Developing allometric functions for live trees 36 68 Developing stratum specific functions 37 69 Updating pre‑existing stratum specific functions or CFI functions 38 70 Regional functions 39 71 Converting a stratum specific function to a regional function 40 Subdivision 14 —Assessing biomass sample trees 40 72 Assessing above‑ground biomass of biomass sample trees 40 73 Assessing below-ground biomass of biomass sample trees 41 74 Destructive sampling method for estimating below-ground biomass 41 Subdivision 15 —Allometric functions for other trees 42 75 Developing allometric functions for trees other than live trees 42 Subdivision 16 —Applicability of allometric functions 42 76 Testing the applicability of allometric functions 42 77 Compatibility checks 42 78 Validation test 43 Subdivision 17 —Assessing carbon stock in fallen dead wood and litter 45 79 Assessing carbon stock in litter 45 80 Assessing carbon stock in fallen dead wood 45 Division 3 —Calculating project emissions 46 81 Calculating fuel emissions from project activities 46 82 Calculating fire emissions from a stratum 46 Part 5 —Calculating the carbon dioxide equivalent net abatement amount for a project in relation to a reporting period 47 Division 1 —Preliminary 47 83 General 47 84 Gases accounted for in abatement calculations 47 85 Requirements for calculating carbon dioxide equivalent net abatement 47 Division 2 —Calculations 48 Subdivision 1 —Calculating carbon dioxide equivalent net abatement amount 48 86 General 48 87 Calculating the carbon dioxide equivalent net abatement amount 48 88 Calculating uncertainty for net abatement amount 49 89 Calculating standard error for net abatement amount 49 90 Calculating degrees of freedom for net abatement amount 50 Subdivision 2 —Calculating carbon stock change 50 91 Calculating carbon stock change for a project 50 92 Calculating carbon stock change for a stratum 51 Subdivision 3 —Calculating initial carbon stock for a stratum 53 93 Calculating initial carbon stock for a stratum 53 Subdivision 4 —Calculating closing carbon stock for a stratum 53 94 Calculating closing carbon stock for a stratum based on full inventory 53 95 Calculating closing carbon stock for a stratum based on PSP assessment 54 96 Calculating closing carbon stock for a stratum with no assessment 56 Subdivision 5 —Calculating lower confidence bound 56 97 Calculating the lower confidence bound for mean ratio of change in PSP carbon stock 56 Subdivision 6 —Calculating mean ratio of change in PSP carbon stock 56 98 Calculating the mean ratio of change in PSP carbon stock 56 99 Calculating the ratio of change in PSP carbon stock 57 Subdivision 7 —Calculating mean plot carbon stock for a stratum 58 100 Calculating mean plot carbon stock for a stratum 58 Subdivision 8 —Calculating carbon stock in a plot 59 101 Calculating carbon stock within a plot assessed as part of full inventory or a PSP assessment 59 Subdivision 9 —Calculating carbon stock in trees, fallen dead wood, and litter 59 102 Calculating carbon stock in live trees within a plot 59 103 Calculating carbon stock in live fire affected trees within a plot 60 104 Calculating carbon stock in dead standing trees within a plot 60 105 Calculating carbon stock in dead standing fire affected trees within a plot 60 106 Calculating carbon stock in litter within a plot 61 107 Calculating carbon stock in fallen dead wood within a plot 61 Subdivision 10 —Calculating biomass in trees 61 108 Calculating biomass in live trees within a plot 61 109 Calculating biomass in live fire affected trees within a plot 62 110 Calculating biomass in dead standing trees within a plot 62 111 Calculating biomass in dead standing fire affected trees within a plot 62 Subdivision 11 —Calculating project emissions 63 112 Calculating project emissions 63 113 Calculating fuel emissions for a stratum 64 114 Calculating emissions for fossil fuel types 64 Subdivision 12 —Calculating emissions for newly fire affected strata 64 115 Calculating emissions for a newly fire affected stratum 64 116 Calculating the standard error for fire emissions 66 Subdivision 13 —Calculating probable limit of error 67 117 Calculating probable limit of error for carbon stock estimates 67 118 Calculating number of plots required for probable limit of error 68 Subdivision 14 —Calculating biomass for biomass sample trees and test trees 69 119 Calculating total biomass for trees—destructive sampling 69 120 Calculating total biomass for trees—default root:shoot ratio 69 121 Calculating the dry weight of biomass components for biomass sample trees and test trees69 122 Calculating the variance of weighted residuals for biomass sample trees and test trees 70 Part 6 —Monitoring and reporting requirements 72 Division 1 —Monitoring requirements 72 123 Operation of this Division 72 124 Monitoring for growth disturbances 72 Division 2 —Offsets report requirements 72 125 Operation of this Division 72 126 Reporting when not possible to use factors or parameters as at end of reporting period 72 Division 3 —Reporting under section 77A of the Act 72 127 No division of stratum area 72