The future of Swiss forests

picture: cb.at

11.06.08 - Two opposing trends characterise Swiss forestry management. On the one hand, with the coming into force of the Kyoto Protocol, changes can be expected to the forestry reserves as sink or source of carbon dioxide. On the other hand, an increasing demand for wood can be observed.

The study answers the following questions:

• Building up or reducing stocks: which makes most sense from the point of view of biodiversity in Swiss forests? Intensification or extensification of forestry management? Are there differences between forest regions and forest communities?
• How can influences be brought to bear to ensure that the direction of developments is in line with climate protection and nature conservation in Swiss forests?

The results show that there are no generalised answers to these questions. Whether a change in stocks has a positive or negative effect on biodiversity depends to a great extent on the climatic region, forest community and type of management. A distinction must also be made between flora and fauna – the requirements of a site to be taken into account often vary widely.

The study for WWF Switzerland has been put together in close cooperation with Thibault Lachat, WSL.