ABSTRACT
Mining is a fundamental economic activity that sustains basic sectors. In abandoned sand mines, the natural vegetation recovery is very slow and in many cases, the recolonization may take decades before the organic material and the soil structure are restored. To minimize this impact, the law requires restoration of native vegetation. In this paper, we evaluate the structure of the vegetation after nine years of planting in an area degraded by sand mining. We recorded which of the species better established in the area. All tree individuals with DBH > 2.0 cm had DBH and height recorded and were identified. The number of species was slightly higher (7.5%) than the number used in planting. Over 70% of those are early successional species. Four species showed individuals over 6 m in height after nine years of planting and are recommended for future recovery plantations. The most successful species was of the early stages of succession.
mining; native species; restoration
