Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL

Research 05.11.2025
Dead wood brings life to the forest
Dead wood brings life to the forest

In a study based on long-term data, WSL researchers show that woodpecker populations grow when there is more deadwood.

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Three-toed woodpecker perched on dead tree trunk against clear blue sky.
 
Research 29.10.2025
Resource-efficient living in the countryside
Resource-efficient living in the countryside

How can rural communities create a framework that allows their populations to live well within planetary boundaries?

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A common sufficiency measure is the promotion of cycling. (Photo: Tonja Iten)
 
Research 23.10.2025
How street lighting affects people
How street lighting affects people

An experiment with different colour temperatures in street lighting shows that warm light is preferred, while cold light relaxes the body.

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Research 02.10.2025
Birds help with pest control
Birds help with pest control

What role do birds and native trees play in the fight against invasive insects? The WSL investigated this in three Swiss cities.

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Hands holding a horse chestnut leaf with brown spots, with more leaves and a person wearing jeans and a yellow vest in the background.
 

Research for people and the environment in a changing world

News

Services and products
07.11.2025

White Risk is Switzerland's best app

The Best of Swiss Apps jury has named White Risk, the SLF app for avalanche prevention, Master of Swiss Apps.

Research
06.11.2025

Animated film on snow hares and climate change

Art meets science: an animated film shows how WSL researchers are monitoring mountain hares in a changing climate.

Services and products
03.11.2025
Diagram shows different tree species in a three-dimensional grid with labels for growth, competition, reproduction, seed production, seed dispersal and mortality.

Top models and hard facts: calculating the world

Forests, rockfalls and insects: researchers at WSL and SLF are modelling nature. How, why and for whom explains the new DIAGONAL.

Research
31.10.2025
View looking up at tree canopies with green leaves and bare branches against a blue sky.

Insect-driven tree deaths rising

In Europe, more trees are dying from insect infestations. Broadleaves cope better than conifers, as heat and drought worsen the issue.

Research
01.10.2025
Three people stand on the shore of a meltwater lake in front of tall, layered glacier walls with a dark cave in the center under a blue sky.

And Swiss glaciers continue to melt

The ice mass has decreased by a quarter over the last ten years, as shown by observations from the GLAMOS measurement network.

Institutional
09.09.2025
Catherine Graham (Foto: Gottardo Pestalozzi, WSL)

WSL researcher appointed to German academy

The German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina has accepted the biodiversity researcher Catherine Graham and thus honoured her achievements.

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Events

11 to 13 November 2025

Workshop: Communicating Biodiversity Effectively Across Boundaries

Three webinars and an in-person panel session to explore core topics: Self and Audience Awareness, Bridging the Gap between Scientists and…

21 November 2025

Resilient rivers: refugia – connectivity – stepping stones

BAFU Research Program «Wasserbau und Ökologie» 2022 - 2026. Project plenary meeting

26 February - 12 March 2026

Multifunktionale Lösungen für Städte der Zukunft

Dieser Workshop bietet eine Plattform, um sich über die Herausforderungen und Herangehensweisen bei Planung, Gestaltung und Umsetzung von…

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