A project in partnership with the EPF Hauts-de-France, which supports a wide range of recycling and reuse initiatives. Creating an urban forest from excavated construction soil The renaturation of the site is possible thanks to the application of the principle of the circular economy of inert soils. By reusing excavated soil from local construction sites, this wasteland can be rehabilitated and transformed. Renaturation and planting operations are financed by ECT through the contribution of excavated soil. Recycling for biodiversity On the site, abandoned nozzles will be reused: they will become a habitat for hibernating bats. Sand brought in from the

Urban forest in Lens: 3 questions for EPF Hauts-de-France In the commune of Lens (62), the urban forest project has been taking shape since September 2021. This project, led by EPF Hauts-de-France, also involves the City of Lens and the Lens-Liévin Conurbation Community, in conjunction with the Hauts-de-France Region through the Regional Forestry Plan. EPF Hauts-de-France is represented by Guillaume Lemoine, in charge of development and biodiversity/ecological engineering. Tell us about EPF Hauts-de-France? EPF Nord-Pas-de-Calais was set up in 1990 to redevelop mining and industrial wastelands. The region was hard hit by the coal, metal and textile crises. A state-owned

“On Saint Catherine’s Day, everything takes root”. On the former industrial site on avenue Van Pelt in Lens (62), children from the Emile Basly school planted around a hundred trees. These trees will be the first to form the future urban forest. This renaturation and awareness-raising initiative is part of the Festival de l’Arbre, organized by Lens town council and EPF Hauts-de-France. This event is a symbol of the 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