Drought prompts Swiss towns to close forest fitness trails

Several Swiss municipalities have closed forest fitness trails because summer drought weakened trees and increased the risk of falling branches and trees, SRF reports. The closures are particularly widespread in the canton of Jura.

In Cornol, a tree fell onto a set of parallel bars on a trail in July. Forester Dominique Wahl told Swiss broadcaster RTS that repeated heatwaves had probably weakened it. The equipment was left damaged, with broken wood and torn-out screws.

The trail in Moutier will remain closed until logging and safety work is complete. The municipality says it is responsible for the safety of trail users. Infrastructure services chief Marco Fernandez said the route would probably reopen after work in the coming weeks, with signs warning visitors to remain cautious.

A trail in Delémont is also closed for safety reasons and is likely to remain so for several more weeks while safety work is carried out.

The closures are intended to be temporary, but foresters say safety will remain a concern in fragile forests. Wahl said it was impossible to reduce the risk to zero without cutting down all the trees. Switzerland has nearly 500 Vitaparcours, or forest fitness trails. Zurich Insurance, which launched the routes, says solutions must take climate change into account.