What are human-induced regeneration (HIR) projects supposed to do?

HIR projects are supposed to involve the human-induced regeneration of an even-aged native forest across the entirety of the areas that are credited (carbon estimation areas, CEAs). The projects do not involve the planting or direct seeding of trees and shrubs. The regeneration must be induced by the project activities from ‘the germination of in situ seed, or the growth of in situ seedlings, rootstock or lignotuber’. The project activities must consist of the cessation of clearing, reducing grazing pressure from livestock or feral animals, or the control of non-native weeds.

Consistent with this, the HIR method requires that, at project commencement, the land included in CEAs must:

  • be largely devoid of mature trees and shrubs; and
  • have ‘forest potential’ – or the ability to regenerate and sustain ‘forest cover’, defined as an area of land that is 0.2 hectares that contains trees that are 2 metres or more in height and provide crown cover of at least 20% of the land.

These requirements are intended to ensure that the credited areas can support regeneration and that the regeneration can achieve forest cover. It also ensures projects do not receive credits for growing trees that were already there when they started.

In addition, the HIR method requires:

  • regeneration on the land to have been suppressed by clearing, grazing by livestock or feral animals, or weeds in the 10 years prior to the commencement of the project; and
  • it must be reasonable to expect that the land will only achieve forest cover if the suppressors are removed or mitigated.  

These requirements are supposed to ensure the regeneration is ‘additional’ (i.e. it would not occur without the project activities being undertaken).

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