Even high-altitude forests in Switzerland are now weakened by frequent droughts, making natural hazards more dangerous

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Researchers say increasingly frequent summer droughts are weakening high-altitude forests in Switzerland as warming pushes trees beyond their resilience. Because these forests help shield valley communities from avalanches, rockfalls, landslides and floods, their decline could increase natural-hazard risks.

Due to global warming, Swiss forests are now at a tipping point where summer droughts are overwhelming trees' tolerance and resilience, scientists have shown. That bodes ill for people in the valleys because forests form their first line of defense against avalanches, rockfalls, landslides and floods.