Information about the logbook of elevation records

The abundance and distribution of native tree and shrub species is a key topic of the NFI. However, a sample plot inventory is not designed to cover the highest sites where trees and shrubs grow. Information on occurrences at high elevations is also sparse in the literature, and even when it is available coordinates and photos for the sightings are lacking, making it impossible to verify them.

Report your sightings

We need your help to record the highest-elevation specimens of the trees and shrubs occurring in Switzerland. Please submit your sightings to our public logbook by using our sighting form. The reported trees or shrubs must be at least 10 cm tall when measured vertically. The most important sightings will be verified by the NFI field teams on site.

Basis for research

The aim of this Citizen Science project is to obtain reliable information on the location of high-elevation specimens, ideally for all tree and shrub species and over the whole of Switzerland.

The reported and verified trees and shrubs form the basis for a long-term series of scientific measurements to investigate how climate change affects the growth and elevational distribution of the various tree and shrub species.