Schutzwälder gegen Rutschungen: Ausscheidung und Pflege als Verbundaufgabe

Abstract

Protection forests against landslides: delimitation and maintenance as a joint task Landslides are natural hazards that occur frequently and are decisively involved in water-relevant hazards such as debris flows, driftwood and overbank sedimentation. Protection against natural hazards is a joint task of the Confederation, the cantons and third parties. As a measure of integrated risk management, the cantons delimitate protection forests against shallow landslides based on principles developed jointly with the Confederation. In relation to the total area of protection forests in Switzerland, landslides are the most frequent natural hazard against which forests protect. The enforcement aid «Sustainability and Success Monitoring in Protection Forests (NaiS)» defines binding silvicultural targets for protection forests. In recent years, various research institutions have looked more closely at the impact of forests on slope movements. The «torrent, flood» requirement profile of NaiS is currently being revised at the Federal Office for the Environment. In the channel slopes, the goal is to shift the emphasis to protection against landslides. This requirement profile will be designed in accordance with the current state of knowledge. In doing so, no fundamental changes to the existing profile will be necessary. ProtectBio defines a procedure, which enables the assessment of risk reduction through protective forest for shallow landslides to be in compliance with risk reduction through technical protective measures.