In Switzerland, more and more timber is being burned. According to the Federal Statistical Office, nearly half of all wood harvested from Swiss forests is now used for energy—twice the share recorded two decades ago. The proportion processed in sawmills for construction or carpentry has declined over the same period, falling from 70% in the early 2000s to just 46% today.
The shift reflects a combination of policy and economics. Over the past 20 years, the wood-energy sector has steadily expanded. The push for renewable energy sources and favourable pricing have made wood for heating an attractive market—particularly for forest owners seeking new revenue streams.
Logs and wood chips now feed a growing number of boilers and stoves across the country. But the sector’s success is not without its critics.
Burning wood releases similar amounts of greenhouse gases as burning oil and coal, and significantly more than natural gas. It also adds to winter smog, increasing the damage to lungs.
The argument in favour of burning wood is that replacement trees are planted, making it carbon neutral, at least in theory. However, critics like to point out the flaws in this. Sometimes there is no new tree. In addition, if the same wood is used in construction then the carbon in it would be locked away rather than released, and the related air pollution avoided. Also, if heating and construction are competing for wood then less of it will end up in buildings.
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