Climate change is slowing down the growth of important tree species in Switzerland, according to a new study. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox Although trees are starting to grow earlier in the year due to rising temperatures, they are producing less wood overall than ten years ago, said the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL. + Swiss forests in race against time This slower growth has consequences: A smaller increase in trunk diameter means that forests absorb less CO2 and are therefore less able to slow down global warming, said WSL. + Switzerland’s forests of the future According to the WSL study, the start of stem growth has been significantly delayed by several days over the last ten years. In some years, the first stem radius increases can even be measured two to three weeks earlier than at the beginning of the 2000s. At the same time, however, periods of heat and drought are increasing - and it is precisely these ...
