Publication Date:
September 2020
The Full Carbon Accounting Model is a calculation tool for modelling Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions from the land sector.
FullCAM is used in Australia’s National Greenhouse Gas Accounts for the land use, land use change and forestry sectors. Results from modelling are used to produce the annual totals for Australia’s National Inventory Reports. Emissions data (including from the land sector) can be found in Australia’s National Greenhouse Accounts.
Carbon dioxide removed from the atmosphere by forests, croplands, grasslands and other vegetation can offset emissions from farming and land clearing.
Given the size of Australia's land sector is approximately 769 million hectares, it’s impractical to measure emissions and abatement using just direct estimation methods, such as field sampling.
Australia’s national inventory system for the land sector relies on the use of a modelling framework. FullCAM estimates the carbon stock change in ecosystems including:
- above and belowground biomass
- standing and decomposing debris
- soil carbon resulting from land use and management activities
Using FullCAM for Emissions Reduction Fund projects
FullCAM is also used to generate abatement estimates for vegetation Methodology Determinations (methods) under the the Australian Carbon Credit Units Scheme, previously known as the Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF). Each method has its own guidance for using FullCAM:
- Human-induced regeneration of a permanent even-aged native forest 1.1 method
- Native forest from managed regrowth method
- Avoided clearing of native regrowth method
- Reforestation by environmental or mallee plantings – FullCAM method
- Plantation forestry method
- Measurement based methods for new farm forestry plantations method
For each method, the default and alternative download option together constitute ‘FullCAM’ as defined by the method.
You must read the Licence agreement before downloading and using the FullCAM software below.
Download options: Full Carbon Accounting Model (FullCAM)
FullCAM 2020 public release
- ERF projects must use the default option unless they meet requirements for the alternative option that are listed in the relevant method specific FullCAM guideline.
Alternative: 2016 FullCAM option
- ERF projects that meet specific requirements listed in the relevant method specific guidelines for the project may use this alternative option
If clicking on the link above does not commence the download, please right click on the download link and select ‘open in new window’. Once the new window opens, click refresh in the new window to begin downloading.
Read more
- We consulted on the 2020 FullCAM update including the 2019 and 2020 pre-release versions. Find previous consultations on our Consultation hub.
- Read our guidance on using command line and plot digest (711KB PDF) (939KB DOCX) functionality for the processing of multiple plot files or model point locations.
Note: There are limits on the number of model points that can be processed in a simulation and you should read the guidance to understand these. The functions may return errors if these limits are exceeded.
Contact us
- Email fullcam@dcceew.gov.au for technical assistance using FullCAM