By Balz Rigendinger
The aim of the Wood Resource Policy (click here) is to ensure that wood from Swiss forests is supplied, processed and used in a way that is sustainable and resource-efficient. In doing this, it makes a major contribution to forest, climate and energy policy.
...Swiss forests (click here) are not simply the products of nature. For centuries, mankind has interfered to make the forests serve its purposes. In such a densely-populated country as Switzerland, the many benefits of forests are obvious: they purify drinking water, serve as a protective shield against avalanches and rock falls, dampen noise and wind, provide wood, and serve the population’s health. According to a study, the recreation value alone of forests amounts to CHF4 billion ($4.23 billion) per year. “The forest has been the product of cultural activities for the past 7,000 years,” says Küchli.
Though Switzerland’s most important tree, the spruce, may be a native, its omnipresence is due to the fact that about 100 years ago, it was widely planted for its ability to grow well on worn-out soil.
Before that, in the 19th century, then-prevalent oak forests were said to be overused and in bad condition, even though they too were man-made during the colonization by Alemmenic tribes about 1,300 years earlier. The weather-resistant wood was highly valued and its acorns were nutritious food for pigs. “Oaks grow the best ham,” farmers used to say in autumn when they drove their pigs into the woods to find fodder....
