after the british troops left, renaturalization work started in the area as well as in the nearby osterheide (not to be confused with osterheide further south), where the actual tank exercises had been conducted. over the decades these training activities had inflicted substantial damage to the environment. the camp was searched for areas of contamination and in two places elevated readings of chemical pollution were discovered. in total, the british government spent around 10.2 million dm through 2001 to restore the "red areas".