Bern gives away 150 sweet chestnut trees for hotter summers

The city of Bern will give away 150 young sweet chestnut trees to help prepare for climate change, SRF reports. The Zurich University of Applied Sciences and Stadtgrün Bern are distributing the trees through the project “Bern wachst zäme”.

The half-metre-tall saplings are due to be handed out in December. The offer is open to people with gardens as well as schools, community gardens and housing cooperatives. About 100 trees are still available, and the project has already attracted strong interest, said project lead Stefan Stevanovic of the university.

The distribution is part of a research project examining how the trees could help Bern adapt to hotter, drier conditions. Sweet chestnuts tolerate heat and drought well, Stevanovic said, and can provide shade as well as food for insects and other animals through their flowers and fruit. He said they should also cope with hot summers such as this year’s.

Sweet chestnuts are common south of the Alps but relatively rare farther north. Bern has recorded just 24 on public land, according to Stevanovic.

The trees need plenty of space for their roots, making them less suitable for typical roadside planting. Gardens, parks and school grounds are better locations. A map prepared by a university bachelor’s student shows where the trees could grow in the city.

The project aims to increase the number of sweet chestnuts and encourage residents to plant more trees generally. The trees should ideally be planted in autumn or winter. Residents can apply through the city’s website.

Stevanovic said the trees could one day provide the occasion for a chestnut festival in Bern, as in the Puschlav and Ticino. He stressed that sweet chestnuts are intended to add to the diversity of urban trees, not replace other species.