Abstract
We examined the effects of ammonium sulfate on the vegetation of two ski runs subjected to differing levels of landscaping during their creation. Stands treated with ammonium sulfate had greater biomass than untreated stands on both the ski runs. Ammonium sulfate treatment did not affect the species richness of stands on the 'Utopia' Course, which had received extensive slope modification. However, species richness was lower in stands treated with ammonium sulfate than in untreated stands on the 'Challenge' Course, which had been modified relatively little. The lower species richness on the Challenge Course was due to the lower frequency of short herbs, such as Ixeris dentata, Lysimachia japonica and Equisetum arvense, and tree seedlings, e. g. , Cryptomeria japonica and Acer micranthum. These species were believed to have been excluded by the predominance of large perennial herbs, Artemisia montana. Based on these results, we concluded that spraying ammonium sulfate on the snow surface in winter greatly influenced vegetation structure, and the effects differed with the extent of landscape modification during formation of the ski slope.
