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Storm causes unprecedented damage to Swiss forests

The Federal Environment Agency says the weekend storm, Lothar, caused the worst damage done to Swiss forests since records began being kept in the last century.

The Federal Environment Agency says the weekend storm, Lothar, caused the worst damage done to Swiss forests since records began being kept in the last century.

The agency said trees amounting to more than 8 million cubic metres were knocked down in the gale-force winds. It said the storm did in one day what woodcutters normally do in two years, when harvesting trees.

Cantons Berne, Fribourg, Lucerne and Aargau reported the largest forest damage. The authorities in the central canton of Nidwalden estimated that one in every ten trees was knocked down.

The Environment Agency said it appeared that all tree varieties were affected, no single type was able to resist the storm’s wrath better than any other. But the forests on the south side of the Alps and in canton Valais survived intact.

Statistics show that there has been an increase in powerful storms and resulting damage to forests since 1962. Officials said the increase could be a result of global warming, even though there is still no hard evidence.

The agency did say there was a positive side to the mass destruction. It said areas where whole stands of trees litter the ground promotes biodiversity.

From staff and wire reports.

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SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR