Natural forest
Original beech forest
The Sihlwald natural forest is made up of around 1,100 hectares of beech forest, which originally covered some 80 per cent of Central Europe. It represents a rare example of a large, original forest on the Swiss plateau.
Deadwood, which is constantly on the increase in the Sihlwald, forms an important component of the original forest. There are huge, impressive old trees that are up to 250 years old, small, young trees and mature trees that have reached their full majesty at around 120 years old. The Sihlwald is characterised by a small-scale, mosaic-like forest structure with an ever increasing dynamic and is an impressive example of a native forest wilderness that is unique in Europe.
Since 1 January 2010 the Sihlwald has been in possession of the official designation «Nature Discovery Park – Park of National Significance». The Sihlwald’s conservation is guaranteed by a forest reserve agreement (2007) and a cantonal conservation ordinance (2008).
Monitoring
The project «Biodiversity and habitat structures in the Wildnispark Zurich Sihlwald: the establishment of an intensive natural forest study site» is the cornerstone for long-term monitoring of biodiversity in the Sihlwald. It is based on a collaboration between the Forestry Department of the canton of Zurich’s Office of Forests, Nature and Land Management, the Wildnispark Zurich Foundation, the University of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Sciences (BFH-HAFL) and the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL). It is financially supported by the federal government.
Preliminary results
The first results are impressive: Several rare or presumably extinct species show that the Sihlwald is a unique habitat. For example, the researchers discovered the lichen Rinodina polyspora, which they had been searching for decades, in the Sihlwald. It appeared in the category «regionally extinct» throughout Switzerland. Those responsible have also discovered remarkable species among the beetles: Batrisodes buqueti – it resembles an ant in appearance – is a former primeval forest relict species. The monitoring already shows: Natural forests like the Sihlwald enable various demanding species to survive and spread that would have no chance in managed forests.
