Fence shields damaged Sumvitg forest as replanting begins

A 2.5-kilometre wildlife fence now encloses 25 hectares of damaged protective forest above Surrein, a village in the municipality of Sumvitg. The project, described by SRF as unique in Switzerland, is intended to help the forest recover and protect the village from natural hazards.

The Puzzastg forest has lost some of its protective capacity after decades of wildlife damage prevented young trees from growing. Unstable soil and dead trees have also left increasingly large gaps in the forest, weakening its defences against avalanches, rockfalls and debris flows.

“This forest will not recover on its own,” Beat Cadruvi, a forest ranger, told SRF. The condition is particularly critical higher up, where many older trees are badly damaged and will need to be replaced in the coming years.

The 2.5-metre-high fence is designed to keep deer and other wild animals from eating or damaging young trees. Forestry engineer Nora Zürcher-Gasser, who planned the project, said it was the only realistic way to secure the forest’s protective role over the long term. She cautioned that the fence should not become a model for other regions because it has a significant impact on the landscape.

The fence cost about 1.5 million Swiss francs, with the canton of Graubünden covering most of the bill. Construction was completed in July, and replanting is now under way. More than 20,000 young trees, including several kinds of fir and deciduous trees, are due to be planted in the coming years. Volunteers from the Mountain Forest Project are helping, and the first saplings are already in the ground.