How drought affects Swiss forests

This year’s exceptional drought is causing irreversible damage to Swiss forests. But trees’ health is being undermined by more than just the lack of rainfall. With yellow treetops visible as early as July, the sight of Swiss forests this summer is unusual even for someone who has studied them for decades. “I knew this scenario would eventually occur. But I did not expect it to happen this year, nor with such intensity,” Ansgar Kahmen, professor of physiological plant ecology at the University…