On Saint Catherine’s Day, it is time to plant »
On the former industrial site, avenue de Van Pelt in Lens (62), the children of Emile Basly school came to plant a hundred trees. These trees are the first to form the future urban forest. This renaturation and awareness-raising action is part of the French Festival de l’Arbre, (Tree Festival) organised by the Lens town council and the EPF Hauts-de-France. This event is a symbol of the ongoing transformation of this wasteland into an urban forest.
Renaturalizing a wasteland to create the future urban forest
The rehabilitation of the former Van Pelt industrial site managed by the EPF des Hauts-de-France is taking shape.
The goal is to create an urban forest. More than 8,000 trees will be planted: oak, beech, alder, maple. Some of the trees will be moved from a neighbouring plot, to ensure local management of the species and better tree recovery. This diversity will create a wide variety of forest environments. The project will provide the Lens-Liévin conurbation with a new biodiversity area in addition to the « Chaine des Grands Parcs ».
ECT is the intervening operator, to create this « heart of nature » through the contribution of land. The materials used are inert earth from local construction sites. Land traceability is a major issue. The expertise of ECT’s services ensures the analysis, characterisation and traceability of materials from the excavation site to the reception site.
