Vale, a mining company, has confirmed that it is halfway through the extensive project of regreening the Sudbury basin. Recently, the company initiated its annual aerial seeding program, which has treated over 4,400 hectares of land since the early 1990s using a blend of crushed limestone, fertilizer, and grass seed.
Quentin Smith, an engineer in Vale’s environment department in Sudbury, highlighted how the region was previously described as a desolate moonscape due to the adverse effects of emissions and acid rain from the mining industry. He noted that the term “Sudbury moonscape” is no longer as commonly recognized, signifying the positive transformation taking place.
Peter Beckett, a professor emeritus at Laurentian University and chair of the City of Greater Sudbury’s advisory panel on regreening, recounted the city’s efforts that began in the early 1970s. Initially, volunteers manually applied crushed limestone to mitigate soil acidity and replanted seedlings to restore lost vegetation due to industrial emissions.
Challenges arose in reaching inaccessible areas, prompting Vale to experiment with aerial seeding in the early 1990s, leading to successful outcomes. Smith mentioned that the grass growth in the following years was on par with the regular seeding program.
Presently, Vale focuses on planting native grasses in the initial phase, followed by the introduction of seedlings cultivated at a Vale greenhouse in Sudbury’s Copper Cliff area the subsequent year. This year, approximately 100 hectares east of Coniston in Greater Sudbury will undergo treatment with the limestone, fertilizer, and grass seed mixture.
The annual cost for Vale to execute the aerial seeding program amounts to around $1 million. The long-term objective over the next three decades is to rehabilitate most areas impacted by historical mining operations. However, a few select areas will be intentionally left untreated to serve as a reminder of the landscape’s prior condition.
The ongoing round of aerial seeding is scheduled to conclude on Monday, Oct. 13, marking another step in the continuous efforts to restore the Sudbury basin.
