Uncover the unique tree species of Valais, from majestic larches to resilient apricot varieties, showcasing their significance in the region's ecology and tourism. Read more for insights into Valais' natural heritage.
No, I won’t start with apricots but larches.
Larches you probably know, gorgeously gold and orange in autumn. It’s the tree most Valaisans are likely to name as typical of the canton because it grows at altitudes of 1200-2400m.
But from François Bonnet you can also learn that above Riddes you can find the biggest larch in Europe, known as the King of Balavaux, with a circumference of 11.8 metres, believed to be 800-100 years old. “It is surrounded by a footbridge to protect its roots from the trampling of hikers and cattle,” Nendaz Tourism Office notes. The pasture, which is home to 100 cows in summer, has some 250 larch trees.
From Bonnet’s book you can learn the history of the larch’s English (as well as German and Italian) name. It comes from Larignum in Northern Italy. When Julius Caeser in 58 BC laid siege to a fortress there, it resisted attempts to set the buildings on fire. Once the fortress was taken, Caesar inquired how it had proved so resistant and was shown the building had been constructed from this wood (now scientifically named Larix, and larice in Italian). It gets its French name mélèze directly from the Dauphinois (melese) and before that from the pre-Roman melix. There are 3 North American and 8 Eurasian species.
The book is packed with information of this level, and Bonnet usually identifies where the photos were taken. Derborence is a favourite site, and rightly so. The book was developed in collaboration with the Valais Service of Forests, Nature and Landscapes.
In his introduction, François Bonnet points out two major current threats to woodlands in the Valais.
Population growth in the Valais since 1860, from 81,000 to 348,000 in 2020, has reduced the natural environment, particularly since 1950. This has been especially true of the lowlands. Higher up, the resort of Montana has increased 500% since 1960, and Verbier’s human population has quadrupled. The Forest of Finges, near Sierre, is a safe haven for many threatened trees, though.
The other threat is from “domestication” of the Rhone river to prevent flooding. The disappearance of wetlands and swamps eradicated malaria and increased the amount of arable land. But its impact on the diversity of the region’s vegetation has been significant: a 1985 study recorded the disappearance of 115 species. The researcher complained of “the almost complete annihilation of [the lowlands’] characteristic flora and the ecosystem that should nourish it. [It has] transformed this ‘Elorado’ of former times into ‘an overcultivated garden’.”
As for the trees (larch make up 20% of the total), 77% are conifers and 23% hardwoods. In all they cover 23.7% of the canton. Protected areas account for 6.4% of the forested area. The authorities’ goal is to increase this to 10% (12-13,000 ha). The contemporary decline in agriculture in mountain regions of the Valais means that woodland is gaining terrain at a rate that equals the canton’s whole wine-growing land every six years.
Of course, in Alpine regions, we have to talk of the fir tree (Abies, Latin for ‘rising one’). Switzerland has only one native species, the silver fir (Abies alba) from the 40 found in northern temperate zones (alba means ‘bright’ or ‘dead white’).
The same uniqueness applies to spruce (Picea), in the same family Pinacea. From 50 species, the large coned Picea abies (Norway spruce) is the only native species, but accounts for 44% of the volume of all forest trees, compared with 15 % for the fir.
Spruce grows rapidly and has economic value for woodworkers. But it’s rare in Geneva and west Ticino. And you only find spruce used for chalets and stables in the Bernese Oberland (and parts of the Valais) where the architectural style is to build overhanging roofs from harder wood and other materials that project wide and deep enough to protect the spruce from rain damage. Otherwise the effect can be quite devastating.
If the towns of Sion and Sierre seem to project a laid-back Mediterranean atmosphere rather than a Swiss-German strictness, it may be due to the prevalence of Celtis australis, the micocoulier or honeyberry, planted in France and Croatia since the 16th century. Since the 1990s, Bonnet reports, the Valais capital and similar towns have been planting trees that survive in higher temperatures and drier climates. With the support of the Swiss federal government, five more adapted species are replacing pines, chestnut trees, lindens and maples.
Finally, apricots. That speaks of Valais, right? Well, it seems they only became important in the canton at the end of the 19th century, thanks to two Frenchmen and a German who settled near Chateauneuf. The botanist Gabriel Luizet (1794-1872), from a Lyonnais family, gave his name to what became the “Valais apricot”, probably from Hungary. Apricot plantations now cover 688ha of the Valais. But only 205 grow Luizet varieties. Look for Bergeron and Swired if you want to eat apricots late in the season.
Bonnet notes that the Swiss authorities are encouraging growers financially to switch away from Williams pears and Maigold or Golden apples in favour of other varieties. So don’t be surprised to see some new labels in the Valais grocery stores.
swissinfo. Swiss cities are home to 1,300 different tree species. More than 1,300 tree species live in Swiss cities, most of them non-native. Forests, on the other hand, contain just 76 species. However, this city diversity has a negative side: it makes cities a “gateway for invasive forest pests”. In all, over 500,000 urban trees were listed. “Cities are generally considered poor in diversity, while forests are perceived as rich in diversity. In reality, the opposite is true,” explains forest protection expert Benno Augustin (LINK). 1 September 2024.
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Despite consulting for several environmental organizations Peter Hulm remains an ignoramus about nature, even with good books to help him. Fortunately, he has several extremely knowledgeable friends who tell him what to observe.