Constraints on Northern Aggregate Pit Reclamation and Novel Reclamation Strategies for Enhancing Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning

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This project will address the limitations to plant restoration and biodiversity in Northeastern Ontario aggregate sites. The Collège Boréal-Laurentian University research team will explore novel soil amendments and planting strategies to facilitate restoration of biodiversity and key ecosystem functions like nutrient cycling, carbon storage, resilience to disturbance, and protection of ground and surface waters. Numerous "legacy" pit and quarry sites exist from prior to the 1990 Aggregate Resources Act, which now universally requires progressive rehabilitation for all permitted sites. Some of these legacy sites, identified by the project partner, The Ontario Aggregate Resource Corporation (TOARC herein), will be used in the study; however, a key goal is to also contribute protocols that can be commercially applied further in the aggregate- production and other mineral mining sectors that manage waste rock as part of their operations towards progressive and final closure and site restoration. Thus, the research team and TOARC will work collaboratively with landowners with surface rights to legacy sites who are interested in low-cost rehabilitation as well as metal mining companies (who also deal with waste rock reclamation challenges) and larger aggregate-production companies with sites representing multiple stages of contemporary rehabilitation. The market-reach potential of the project is large, spanning from landowners and TOARC interested in legacy site rehabilitation to improve environmental impacts to potentially all contemporary aggregate producers in our region and in other regions with similar surficial geology and climate nationally and globally. Protocols developed will focus on low-cost solutions that improve the long-term rehabilitation trajectories and a broad range of ecosystem services, making the aggregate-production and mining sectors more financially competitive and earning them stronger environmental and social license to operate. In collaboration with industry partners, the academic research team, will generate new knowledge and expertise in the areas of land reclamation, restoration and biodiversity that will assist aggregate-producers and mining companies, achieve their rehabilitation and closure plan targets.