Swiss forest owners warn recreation is overwhelming woodlands

Recreational use of Swiss forests is reaching its limits, the forest owners’ association WaldSchweiz has warned, calling for greater respect for forestry, SRF reported.

Philipp Hug, co-manager of the forestry operation of Bern’s Burgergemeinde, said more than 100 schoolchildren once suddenly arrived in a forest for an orienteering event. Forestry work became impossible, he said, as workers had to assess the situation and speak with the group before beginning their work with machinery.

Hug said the example showed how the forest was increasingly becoming a sports ground. At a conference organised by WaldSchweiz, forestry operations reported problems with recreational users who sometimes ignored warning signs indicating that trees were being felled. This could be dangerous, Hug said.

“Recreation close to home is important, but when it becomes more important than managing the forest, it becomes a problem,” said Ernst Wandfluh, an SVP member of the National Council and vice-president of Holzenergie Schweiz and the Bernese forest owners.

Mountain biking has become a particular source of conflict. Daniel Fässler, president of WaldSchweiz and a Centre Party member of the Council of States, said it was increasingly irritating that people left official routes, rode on unofficial paths or created their own bike trails.

WaldSchweiz invited top mountain biker Alessandra Keller to the conference. The forest is her training ground, and she said she was involved in a conflict almost every week. She also faced criticism from forest owners who claimed that mountain bikers damaged everything and used paths without permission.

Keller said she followed the rules and rode on hiking trails. She defended mountain biking and cycling as activities that could no longer be separated from the forest, including as forms of future mobility. She opposed restrictions but called for more separate bike trails and hiking paths.

Legal uncertainty also contributes to the conflicts. Since 1912, the Swiss Civil Code has stated that forests may be entered freely. However, the legislature has not defined the extent to which newer activities such as cycling, paintball and raves fall under that right, said Roland Norer of the University of Lucerne. Courts assess individual cases, but the legal situation remains uncertain, he said.

Forest owners are not currently seeking political restrictions on access, Fässler said. He respects people’s right to enter forests but wants visitors to show the necessary respect for the forest, its animals and its owners. With dialogue, he said, recreation and forestry could coexist.