Swiss musical forest falling silent

Although many effects of global warming are familiar, few would consider its impact on music making. However, that's a genuine concern for artists constructing traditional wooden instruments in Switzerland.

The source of their precious material can be found in the Risoud Forest, which stretches along the France Switzerland border. At high altitude in the Jura mountains, many of the trees are ancient and are ideal for creators of stringed instruments such as guitars and violins. Yet nowadays the drier, warmer weather threatens the wood's excellent sound qualities, an issue which forest caretaker Francois Villard fully understands.

Francois Villard: "Global warming is the problem. The average annual temperature, when I arrived here in the Vallee de Joux, 30 years ago, we had an average annual temperature of 5-6 degrees. Now we are way over!"

The unique conditions in which the trees grow lend them their particular characteristics. According to specialist Theo Magnin, the high altitude and poor soil make them superb for instrument making.

Theo Magnin: "For musical instruments, you need very tight veins and that's why the more the trees grow in altitude, between 1000 metres and 1200 metres high above the sea level, the veins will be very tight."

Of every 300 trees chopped down locally, only one or two will have the correct resonance to become musical instruments. Magnin's worry is that this tiny number of potential trees will now decrease further.

Theo Magnin: "With global warming and the lack of water, I don't know what we're going to find as resonance wood, high quality wood in the next few years. It's becoming a disaster with the woods drying."

Even though the woodworkers have tried out alternative sources, craftsman Philippe Ramel hasn't been persuaded. He's certain that only Risoud Forest wood can guarantee the perfect sound for their instruments.

Philippe Ramel: "It's the air inside the guitar that will, with the vibration of the string, begin to move and which will cause the soundboard to vibrate like the skin of a drum. So we want the best possible vibratory qualities and the Risoud forest guarantees that." Weniger anzeigen