The Alta Environmental Center (AEC) is responsible for protecting, preserving and restoring the land on which we operate. To minimize our impact on this alpine ecosystem, we carefully consider how infrastructure improvements and recreational activities affect the landscape, striving to match—if not exceed—any disturbance with meaningful restoration efforts. Land conservation takes many forms at Alta, from thoughtful project planning and monitoring to forest management and habitat restoration. Together, these efforts help protect the unique ecosystems that make Alta special, ensuring the land we enjoy today remains healthy and resilient for generations to come.
Since 1991, Alta has recorded the number of plants and trees that have been planted within the ski area:
44,060 trees planted since 1991
131,064 plants planted since 1991
History of Conservation
Conservation is one of Alta’s longest-standing traditions, dating back to 1933. After decades of mining for silver in Little Cottonwood Canyon, Alta’s once-forested slopes were left nearly bare. Trees had been harvested to support the booming mining industry, but it didn’t take Mother Nature long to voice her displeasure. Without trees to stabilize the mountainsides, avalanches and landslides became increasingly destructive, while erosion threatened the canyon’s water sources.
Alf's High Rustler 1919 (left) vs 2018 (right)
By the early 1930s, the Great Depression and dwindling mineral resources had turned Alta into a ghost town. Following some questionable financial decisions by Alta’s self-proclaimed mayor and last remaining resident, George Watson, much of the land ended up in the hands of the US Forest Service (USFS). The mountains had good bones, but were in desperate need of a renovation.
In 1933, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)—a work relief program established under President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal—set out to restore the damaged watershed and improve recreational access in the canyons. This marked Alta's earliest documented reforestation efforts.
Meanwhile, the state of Utah saw an opportunity to put all that open land to good use by developing another ski area. To find the perfect spot, the USFS enlisted Norwegian-American ski jumper and CCC foreman, Alf Engen, in 1935. That winter, Engen skied to Alta from Brighton via Catherine’s Pass, returning the following summer before declaring the terrain ideal for skiing. There was just one thing missing—trees!
With a watershed to repair and a future ski area taking shape, the CCC planted hundreds of trees across Alta’s slopes—helping lay the groundwork for Alta Ski Area. Nearly a century later, the AEC proudly carries on this legacy, planting hundreds of trees and thousands of native plants each year to keep Alta’s alpine ecosystem healthy for generations to come.
Learn More About the History of Alta >
Forest health
Trees provide much more than fun obstacles to ski through—they play a vital role in maintaining a healthy, balanced alpine ecosystem. From planting the next generation of trees to caring for those already rooted in our slopes, forest conservation takes many forms at Alta. With the help of environmental experts, local organizations and our community, we work hard to keep Alta’s forests healthy and resilient for generations to come.
Reforesting Alta's slopes
Every fall, the Alta community comes together to plant roughly 1,000 native tree saplings across the mountain. But the journey of these young trees begins years before they ever take root.
Engelmann spruce sapling taking root on Alta's slopes | Photo: Photo John
Each year, the AEC and USFS collect thousands of cones from around the ski area—ensuring the next generation is genetically adapted to survive and thrive in Alta's high elevation and extreme weather. Cones are sent to a USFS grower in Idaho, where they spend one to three years developing a strong root system before returning home to Alta. Once ready, the saplings are then ready to be hand-planted in carefully selected locations identified by the AEC based on ecological need and operational considerations. The goal is to encourage natural regeneration and increase the diversity of tree ages across the mountain—helping build a healthier, more resilient forest.
To help these young trees put down roots, we invite our community and partner organizations to join us for our annual Tree Planting Day. With the help of friends, families and friendly strangers, this tradition is about more than planting trees. It’s an opportunity to give back to the mountain we love and make a lasting difference, one tree at a time.
By planting saplings each year, we are increasing the age diversity of tree species across the mountain and supporting natural regeneration, which helps build a more resilient forest for years to come.
Harvesting and re-homing
It's no secret that groomed runs and trees don't mix—but we can't exactly control where these little guys decide to grow. For saplings that take root in the path of a groomer weighing several tons, the future isn't particularly bright. That's where the AEC steps in.
Volunteers harvesting Engelmann spruce saplings from a groomed run | Photo: Rocko Menzyk
Each summer, crews keep their eyes peeled for young Engelmann spruce trees—one of Alta's most common and resilient species—growing within groomed runs. To give them a second chance, we carefully dig them up with their roots intact and transport them to the AEC's tree nursery. There, they're repotted, given a refreshing drink from Little Cottonwood Creek and left to recover from the shock of being uprooted.
Harvested tree resting in the AEC's tree nursery | Photo: Anna Lee
After about a year of rest and recovery, the trees are ready to find their forever homes. Our crews carefully select new planting locations based on forest health, operational needs and where each tree has the best chance to thrive. Once tucked into their new surroundings, we send them off with good vibes and hopes of growing tall and strong. By relocating these young trees before they meet an unfortunate fate beneath a groomer, we're giving them a second chance at life while helping replenish areas of Alta's forest that could use a few extra friends.
Revegetation
Each summer, the AEC plants thousands of native seedlings across Alta's slopes to restore areas impacted by ski area operations. Any soil disturbance, big or small—whether from lift construction, snowmaking infrastructure or slope regrading—triggers the AEC's land disturbance protocol. These areas become designated restoration zones, where we aim to plant 1,000 native seedlings per acre for three consecutive years.
Before and after of Nina's revegetation site: 2021 (left) vs 2024 (right)
This process helps stabilize soil, encourage natural regrowth and restore essential habitat for Alta's pollinators and wildlife.
Behind the scenes
Restoration begins before construction crews even break ground. The AEC surveys each project site to document existing plant communities and identify young trees that can be relocated elsewhere on the mountain. Working closely with mountain operations, we aim to minimize the impact of heavy machinery and protect surrounding vegetation. Once construction wraps up, a native seed mix is spread by hand and covered with hemp geotextile fabric to prevent erosion and create favorable growing conditions.
Seed collection
Each fall, as Alta's wildflowers go to seed, the AEC collects native seeds from areas surrounding restoration sites. These seeds are cleaned, sorted and sent to a local grower, where they spend the following months growing into seedlings before returning to Alta the next summer.
AEC crew organizing seedlings in the plant nursery | Photo: Rocko Menzyk
By sourcing seeds locally, we help preserve the genetic diversity of Alta's native plant populations and give each seedling a better chance of thriving in its alpine home.
The art of planting
Over the winter, the AEC develops a planting plan for each restoration zone, determining the number and species of seedlings needed based on the site's size and ecological conditions. Come summer, crews head into the field armed with rock bars to carve small holes into Alta's rocky soil—carefully tucking each seedling into its new home.
From there, Mother Nature does much of the heavy lifting. Over the next three years, AEC crews return to plant, monitor vegetation growth, remove invasive species and give these recovering landscapes the best chance to thrive.
Wetland restoration
For ski areas, wetlands aren’t just ecological features—they function as natural infrastructure. When healthy, they help protect roads, parking lots and trails, reduce erosion and maintenance issues and support downstream water quality.
In 2019, Alta expanded a base-area parking lot, permanently impacting a small amount of wetland habitat. As required by the US Army Corps and Salt Lake City Public Utilities, Alta completed a wetland mitigation plan with a 3-to-1 net gain in wetland habitat. Rather than creating isolated replacement sites, Alta chose to improve existing wetlands and restore their processes. The following case studies describe the restoration process of three major wetland sites: Bend, Berm and Cecret.
Bend Lot
The Bend Lot is a popular parking area for summer visitors, located at the end of the Summer Road—formerly the base of the old Supreme lift. When the infrastructure was removed in 1981, it left a degraded ditch that provided little ecological or operational value. Hydrologically, a small stream flows into the ditch, briefly pools and then passes through a culvert into Little Cottonwood Creek. In winter, this area functions as a low-grade groomed run in the Supreme area that requires a significant amount of man-made snow to fill.
The goal of this project was to raise the ditch elevation by lining the basin with native topsoil, peat moss and organic material to create soil capable of holding water. Much of the organic material came from the Berm Excavation site mentioned next. Shallow channels were added to slow and meander incoming flow—allowing water to infiltrate the soil, support wetland plants and move gradually through the culvert. Native plant transplants and willow cuttings that were sourced from nearby wetlands were used to jump-start revegetation. Cost and extent of disturbance were both reduced by reusing on-site materials.
The result is a functional wetland that improves water quality, flood control, wildlife habitat and early-season skiing. The area now requires less man-made snow and improves aesthetics at a major public access point.
Berm Excavation
The Berm Excavation project is located in the Albion Fen, a ten-thousand-year-old wetland in the Supreme area. A three-foot-tall berm—believed to be an 1800s mine tailing remnant—ran through the wet meadow, disrupting hydrology and wetland vegetation. To restore the hydrologic connectivity of the meadow, our strategy was to remove the berm to allow the system to recover and expand.
Because wetland soils are highly sensitive, equipment access was carefully planned. The perimeter of the berm was marked with Recco chips the summer before and excavation occurred immediately after ski season. Snowsat was used to guide machinery over the snow to locate the buried Recco chips and minimize soil disturbance while excavating the berm down to ground elevation. The excavated material was reused at the Bend Lot and final grading was completed later by hand. Wetland plants and grasses were transplanted from the surrounding wet meadow and mulching in the fall helped retain moisture.
Removal of the berm restored hydrologic connectivity and strengthened the fen’s long-term resilience, allowing natural processes to function more effectively. Careful timing of operations and reuse of materials minimized impact and cost through coordinated project implementation.
Cecret Lift Road
The Cecret Lift Road is a former service route to the retired Cecret lift terminal. Maintenance vehicles previously crossed directly over a stream to access the terminal, resulting in channel degradation and erosion. During peak flow, water spilled out of the channel and eroded the steep access road. Addressing this site required eliminating the source of degradation—vehicle crossings—and reinforcing the streambank.
To fix this problem, the water flow was temporarily rerouted while the channel was reshaped during the driest point of the season. A gentle curve was added and the banks were reinforced with rock and native wetland plants before water was reintroduced. The channel slope naturally flattens here, providing an opportunity to further slow water for better soil saturation.
The result provided recovery of riparian vegetation, improved downstream water quality and the elimination of an ongoing road maintenance issue.
The Results
Wetland restoration on these three sites ended in the summer of 2024. In total, mitigation work successfully restored 11,240 ft², offsetting the loss of 2,238 ft² from the 2017 Albion lot expansion and Supreme lift installation. Between 2021–2024:
Approximately 3,500 native wetland plants were planted
100+ five-gallon wetland vegetation plugs were transplanted from surrounding areas
Numerous willow propagations were introduced
To ensure these sensitive ecological sites continue to thrive, they will be closely monitored and surveyed in the coming years.
Invasive weed management
One of the primary threats to the health and ecological balance of the Alta environment is the spread of invasive, non-native, noxious plant species. These species thrive in highly disturbed areas and along roadsides—often outcompeting surrounding native vegetation due to their ability to establish quickly and grow rapidly. When invasive plants take over native vegetation, it can affect soil stability and water filtration and threaten the balance of an ecosystem that depends on these plants for survival.
In an effort to combat the presence and spread of invasive species, the AEC spends a lot of time each summer working on the ski area’s invasive species protocols. Currently, we are responsible for 107 acres of management zones—these include highly susceptible areas, internally identified areas of concern and all restoration zones after completing their three years of revegetation work.
Volunteer pulling Yellow Sweet-Clover (left) and Yellow Toadflax (right) on Community Volunteer Day | Photo: Rocko Menzyk
Each zone is carefully surveyed, with detailed documentation of which species are present and in what quantities. After a zone has been thoroughly recorded, our crew goes in and hand-pulls each and every weed from the marked area. Because Alta sits at the headwaters of a watershed, we avoid using chemicals or machine removal in order to minimize water and land disturbance.
Volunteers and CCF crew members pulling weeds during Community Volunteer Day | Photo: Adam Fehr
This is a big mission that can’t be tackled alone. Each summer, the AEC partners with our partners—Cottonwood Canyons Foundation and Friends of Alta—as well as community volunteers to support invasive plant management both within the ski area and throughout the Town of Alta.