Cause of the damage gap, e.g. storm, drought, insect or fungal infestation or timber harvesting. Reference: Forest Service Survey (MID 600: Art der Schadenflächen)

Code	Text	NFI3	NFI4	NFI5
-1	n/a	x	x	x
1	wind	x	x	x
2	snow load	x	x	x
3	avalanche	x	x	x
4	rockfall	x	x	x
5	debris flow, landslide	x	x	x
6	flood	x	x	x
7	forest fire	x	x	x
8	loss of vitality, drought	x	x
9	insects	x	x	x
10	fungi, virus, bacteria	x	x	x
11	wild animals	x	x	x
12	domestic animals	x	x	x
13	wood harvest	x	x	x
14	other human cause	x	x	x
15	loss of vitality due to drought			x
16	other loss of vitality			x