Ecological Impacts of Revegetation and Management Practices of Ski Slopes in Northern Finland

Outdoor recreation and nature-based tourism represent an increasingly intensive form of land use that has considerable impacts on native ecosystems. The aim of this paper is to investigate how revegetation and management of ski runs influence soil nutrients, vegetation characteristics, and the possible invasion of nonnative plant species used in revegetation into native ecosystems. A soil and vegetation survey at ski runs and nearby forests, and a factorial experiment simulating ski run construction and management (factors: soil removal, fertilization, and seed sowing) were conducted at Ruka ski resort, in northern Finland, during 2003–2008. According to the survey, management practices had caused considerable changes in the vegetation structure and increased soil nutrient concentrations, pH, and conductivity on the ski runs relative to nearby forests. Seed mixture species sown during the revegetation of ski runs had not spread to adjacent forests. The experimental study showed that the germination of seed mixture species was favored by treatments simulating the management of ski runs, but none of them could eventually establish in the study forest. As nutrient leaching causes both environmental deterioration and changes in vegetation structure, it may eventually pose a greater environmental risk than the spread of seed mixture species alone. Machine grading and fertilization, which have the most drastic effects on soils and vegetation, should, therefore, be minimized when constructing and managing ski runs.     

浅谈滑雪场建设项目环境影响评价

黑龙江省现有大小滑雪场近百个,由于冬季滑雪旅游不断升温,滑雪场新建、改扩建项目逐年增加.滑雪场类建设项目对环境的影响范围大、因素多、周期长,分析近几年相关项目的环评报告书中存在的问题,文章以哈尔滨某滑雪场改扩建项目环评报告为例,对滑雪场类建项目环境影响评价内容进行了全面分析,指出此类项目的评价重点和应补充完善的内容,重点是项目不同时期的环境影响,即滑雪期、积雪消融期、非滑雪期.