Forests in transition: building a second forest

Climate change is reshaping the Swiss forest

According to Vasek, persistent drought weakens the trees' immune systems. The Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL considers it realistic that the tree line will rise by several hundred metres in places by the end of the 21st century. Today, Switzerland has roughly equal amounts of hardwood and softwood, a ratio that will shift in the coming decades. The timber industry, however, cannot absorb these new resources with its current means and production capacity. The federal government is therefore funding ideas until 2030 to use hardwood as a material rather than burning it.

Hardwood is almost as strong as steel. We could use it to build a second forest in the form of houses.

Timber as the building material of the future

Supported by the Migros Pioneer Fund, Timber Finance therefore advocates greater use of timber in construction. The feature also shows forest images by photographer Markus Bühler, presents other projects backed by the Pioneer Fund and recommends walks through remarkable forests, such as the Bosco di Maia chestnut forest in Ticino or the old oaks near Güttingen on Lake Constance.

How Timber Carbon sees it

The image of a second forest in the form of buildings shaped Timber Finance's communication, for example in the interview with Erik Reichmuth on 20 Minuten. Timber Carbon, launched in 2026 as a spin-off of Timber Finance, quantifies, certifies and monetises the carbon removed in mass timber buildings as carbon removal credits on the voluntary carbon market.