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Renaturation in the blueberry quarry: Stop water loss by September!
On August 18, 2025, the Lower Saxony State Forests will start measures to renaturate the blueberry quarry in order to stop water loss.
Renaturation in the blueberry quarry: Stop water loss by September!
The Lower Saxony State Forests have launched an ambitious project to renaturate the blueberry quarry between Sievershausen and Silberborn. From August 18, 2025, Sievershäuser Straße will be closed to public traffic to serve as an access route to the construction site and material storage facility. This closure will last for around four weeks and is necessary so that work on the forest moor can proceed undisturbed.
As part of the measures, a huge loss of water in the blueberry quarry will be stopped. A total of 1,500 cubic meters of sawdust is required to fill 1,400 meters of old drainage ditches. In order not to endanger the sensitivity of the environment, special machines with low ground pressure are used. In addition, 2,000 tons of mineral soil made from red sandstone will be used in other places to promote renaturation.
Renaturation measures in detail
The Dassel and Neuhaus forestry authorities have been working on the renaturation of the blueberry quarry since 2008 and have invested around 3.5 million euros in the project over the last 15 years. The aim of this current effort on four hectares - an area that was once over 30 hectares - is to sequester carbon and store water. This is not only intended to cool the surrounding area, but also to ensure a comprehensive water supply.
The drainage ditches, which have led to a continuous loss of peat over the years, are now being dismantled. Using the “Zuger Method”, which has proven itself in Germany, more than 29 trenches are filled with sawdust or sandstone earth. This method has already proven its effectiveness in over 200 hectares of moorland in Solling.
Cooperation for nature conservation
The renaturation measures in this sensitive area are carried out in close cooperation with the Lower Nature Conservation Authority of the Northeim district. In the western area of the Bilbeerbruch there are peat layers of up to one meter and intact peat moss that need to be protected. A parallel construction site for rewetting is also underway in the Kleines Bruch nature reserve in order to promote the environment there too.
The timing for these measures couldn't be better, as awareness of the need to protect peatlands continues to grow. The renaturation of the blueberry quarry is an example of the necessary paradigm shift in environmental policy - this is not just about protection, but also about the active restoration of valuable habitats.