Species composition on reclaimed ski runs compared with unseeded areas

Abstract

The cover of native and non-native introduced plants was compared between seeded (reclaimed) ski runs and adjacent or nearby unseeded (control) areas at a managed ski area in northern Arizona to determine the potential effects of revegetation efforts on plant species composition of the area. Although vegetative cover was similar, plant species richness was significantly lower on reclaimed ski runs compared with control areas. At 3 of 4 sites, the number of plant species was more than 2-fold greater in control areas, although species richness was similar between control and reclaimed areas at 1 site. The proportion of native species was more than 3-fold greater in control areas compared with reclaimed ski runs. The proportion of non-native species was more than 5-fold greater on reclaimed ski runs than in control areas. Although sites differed substantially in time since seeding, no evidence was found at 3 of the 4 sites for either an invasion of non-native species into the native plant community, or significant re-establishment of native species in reclaimed areas. Relatively high biomass of native species on a reclaimed ski run at 1 site appeared to be tied to a low level of initial disturbance and favorable conditions for growth. Results suggested that minimizing initial soil disturbance, retaining topsoil, and maintaining islands or patches of natural vegetation within cleared areas promoted the re-establishment of native species on ski runs.

Impact of ski pistes on soil properties: a case study from a mountainous area in the Mediterranean region

“…Success with piste revegetation through the application of grass seed and fertilizer expressed as the rate of colonization, and changes in structure and composition have been reported (e.g. Urbanska & Fattorini, 2000; Van Ommeren, 2001; Heer & Corner, 2002). However, changes in soil ecology after revegetation are still not well known.…”

Interactions between Vegetation, Roots, and Soil Stability in Restored High-altitude Ski Runs in the Alps

“…The main aims in remediation of degraded alpine areas are thus two: (1) rapid establishment of a continuous plant cover that can protect and stabilize the substrate and hence minimize erosion (Delarze, 1994;Pardini et al, 1997;Argenti et al, 2000;Dinger, 2001;Tallarico and Argenti, 2001); and (2) re-establishment of a functional plant-soil system to ensure the self-sustainability of the plant community and its ecological and visual integration with the adjacent undisturbed ecosystems (Bayfield, 1996;Conlin and Ebersole, 2001;Urbanska and Chambers, 2002). This second objective, which has been successfully achieved in many cases at low and medium altitude (Bayfield, 1996;Chambers, 1997;Siniscalco et al, 1997), is very hard to attain at higher altitudes (Van Ommeren, 2001), in particular above timberline (Delarze, 1994;Klug-Pü mpel and Krampitz, 1996;Urbanska, 1997;Wipf et al, 2005). Many studies have therefore been directed to several complementary aspects of the problem.…”

Differential responses of ground dwelling arthropods to ski-piste restoration by hydroseeding

“…soil, vegetation and animals. Studies on the impact of ski-pistes have mostly been concentrated on soils (Freppaz et al 2002;Gros et al 2004;Pintar et al 2009 ), and on vegetation (Delarze 1994;Van Ommeren 2001;Wipf et al 2005), or, more rarely, on the combination of soil and vegetation (Barni et al 2007;Pohl et al 2009;Martin et al 2010;RouxFouillet et al 2011). The studies conducted on animals have not considered soil, and have only taken into account vegetation marginally (Laiolo and Rolando 2005;Rolando et al 2007;Caprio et al 2011;Negro et al 2009Negro et al , 2010Negro et al , 2013Rolando et al 2013).…”