Mount Hayachine is composed of peridotite olivine and serpentine rock, and is unusual in that it lies farther east than other large mountains on Honshū, and is geologically part of the oldest formation in Japan. There are many alpine plants and flower species that are endemic to the area. It is also the southernmost location for the Sakhalin Spruce. For these reasons, 1370 hectares were declared a Special Nature Conservation Area on May 17, 1975 by the national government. On June 10, 1982 an additional 5463 hectares became Hayachine Quasi-National Park.[2][3]