Switzerland's decision to end additional federal funding for forest climate adaptation from 2027 is raising concern among environmental groups as heat, drought and heightened wildfire risks put growing pressure on forests across the Alpine country.
The decision comes as Switzerland faces another period of intense summer heat, with elevated forest fire danger and restrictions on outdoor fires in parts of the country.
The pressure is not new. Switzerland's 2025 Forest Report, published by the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) and the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL), found that forests had suffered significantly over the previous decade from extreme events including heat, drought, storms and harmful organisms, and needed to adapt to climate change to continue fulfilling their functions.
Parliament had previously approved 521 million Swiss francs (over $640 million) for forests for the 2025-2028 period, 70 million Swiss francs more than initially proposed by the Federal Council, with the additional money intended in part for climate adaptation and biodiversity measures.
FOEN told Anadolu in a statement that as part of federal savings measures, the Federal Council decided in 2025 that no additional funds would be allocated to adaptation measures in the forestry sector from 2027, a decision later confirmed by parliament.
However, funding for forests will continue.
"Financial resources will nevertheless continue to be made available for forests from 2027, amounting to around 115 million (Swiss francs) per year," FOEN spokesperson Dorine Kouyoumdjian said.
The measure forms part of Switzerland's broader federal budget relief program for 2027-2029. Although parliament reduced the scale of the government's original proposals, the austerity program remains in place. The Federal Council said in June that without the measures, the 2027 budget would face a structural deficit of around 1.3 billion Swiss francs.
Kouyoumdjian said the Federal Council continues to give "high priority" to adapting forests to climate change under its Integrated Forest and Wood Strategy (IFWS) 2050.
The strategy, adopted in December 2025, recognizes that extreme weather, pests and diseases are placing forests under increasing pressure.
According to FOEN, key adaptation measures will be implemented during the strategy's first phase by 2028.
"For the first eight-year period, the IFWS 2050 measures can be implemented using existing federal funds," she said.
Implementation will also rely on existing programs covering forests, natural hazards, forest and wood research, climate adaptation and biodiversity, the spokesperson added.
Thomas Wirth, biodiversity project manager and forest specialist at WWF Switzerland, told Anadolu in a statement that the effects of the current heat and drought could become increasingly visible over the coming years.
"The transformation of the forest is already in full swing due to climate change," Wirth said.
Drawing on experience from previous heat periods, Wirth said bark beetles and other harmful insects are expected to particularly affect weakened conifers at low and medium elevations, while many beech trees could die within two or three years.
Their loss will create gaps where forests can regenerate naturally, but supplementary planting or targeted maintenance could be needed in some places to ensure future forests are adapted to the climate, he said.
"Without these resources, many forest owners will be left on their own with this task and will hesitate to make the necessary investments," Wirth warned.
While some locations may see little significant impact, problems could emerge in areas where forests perform an important protective role, he said.
Cantons and municipalities could also face greater technical and financial demands as a consequence of the federal decision.
"What seems particularly problematic to us is the signal that the Confederation is sending with this decision," Wirth said. "Not only is it weakening already insufficient climate protection, but it is also ignoring adaptation to warming that is already taking place."
He said common species such as spruce and beech are not equipped in many locations to withstand periods of heat and drought like those now occurring, while native species such as oak are better able to cope with such conditions.
Forest management should therefore strengthen adapted native species so they can form the structure of Switzerland's future forests, he said.
Elena Strozzi, policy project manager for spatial planning and forests at Pro Natura, told Anadolu in a statement that climate and other environmental changes are strongly influencing the natural dynamics and development of Swiss forests.
“We remain convinced that forests can react naturally to environmental and climatic changes, and positively to natural phenomena, including drought,” Strozzi said.
The organization argues that a wide variety of species and forests containing different stages of development provide a stronger basis for adapting to changing conditions.
Rather than extensively reshaping forests, Pro Natura -- a natural health organization in Switzerland -- advocates relying primarily on their capacity for natural regeneration and self-regulation.
“Natural regeneration plays a central role in the stability of trees and forests,” according to Pro Natura's position, which says less common native species could play an important role in the future because of their diversity and capacity to adapt.
It opposes the "active transformation" of forests through the introduction of exotic species to adapt them to future climate conditions, warning that their effects on ecosystems and long-term survival remain "unknown" and that some could "become invasive."
Strozzi said repeated droughts are nevertheless expected to sharply reduce common Swiss species such as spruce, beech and, in some areas, fir in low-altitude forests, while species better suited to warmer and drier conditions, including oak, are likely to become more prevalent.
But she cautioned against "hyperactivism" involving forced planting, noting that forests evolve slowly over cycles spanning decades and that conditions several decades from now remain uncertain.
Pro Natura instead calls for diverse forest structures, natural regeneration and native species, as well as protecting forest soils, whose ability to retain water is particularly important during drought.
"Ensure that all stages of forest development are present in all types of forests," she said.
The organization also wants the share of forests allowed to pass through their entire natural life cycle to rise from 9% to 20%.
For Wirth, meanwhile, the challenge extends beyond gradual warming to the increasingly extreme events associated with it.
History shows that individual episodes of severe heat and drought can drive major changes in forests, he said, making the ability to anticipate and prepare for such events "increasingly important."
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