Mining areas

The water bodies which have formed as a result of extraction are assessed and an overview is drawn up of the previous reclamation works performed in mining areas, the experience, and the data collected in the course thereof. Surveys are conducted in the north-eastern corner of the Aidu Quarry, in the Urba Quarry, in trench no. 13 of the Narva Quarry, and in the Sirgala mining claim of the Viivikonna Quarry.

The area of trench no. 13 of the Narva Quarry has been forested with pine and birch plants in the course of biological reclamation. An area of 3.8 km² has been reclaimed biologically. Common pine cultures cover 60–70% of the total forested area and silver birch cultures cover the remaining 30–40%. A water body which is referred to as Lake Rästikmetsa has formed in the former removal trenches. New small wetlands and water bodies have formed in the area of the heap of the quarry, forming a water system. 

In the period of 1960–2014, roughly 2,500 ha of forest was planted in the area of the Aidu Quarry, including pine cultures in the extent of 83% and birch cultures in the extent of 14%. In some forest stands, the initially created pine stands have been naturally replaced by birch stands. There are now some forested areas of Aidu which are a home to numerous large wild game, such as bears, elks, wild boars, and roe-deer. After closing of the Aidu Quarry, a new water landscape, the so-called ‘Aidu Fjords’, have formed in the area.

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