Focused on minimizing our environmental footprint at all stages of our activities in Canada, the De Beers exploration team has begun a tree-planting program on its drill sites and helicopter landing pads.
The team was active in northeastern Ontario this summer and their search for Canada’s next diamond mine involved cutting drill sites in the dense boreal forest. Each pad was approximately 20m-by-20m and some of the trees were over 30m tall.
“We recognized that the forests represent a major part of the area’s economy and identify,” explained Alex Hunchak, a geologist with De Beers Canada Exploration. “Replanting the drill sites was not a requirement of the project’s exploration permits, but presented an opportunity to minimize our environmental impact.”
Altogether, 1,750 locally-sourced Spruce trees were planted on all of the program’s drill and helicopter pads.
This is just the latest progressive reclamation activity undertaken by De Beers Canada. This year alone, more than 160,000 trees have been planted at Victor Mine in Northern Ontario.