Vegetation and Ecological Environments

The Vaud Alps cover an area of approximately 700 km², encompassing the districts of Pays d'Enhaut, Aigle, and part of the Riviera. All vegetation zones (lowland, mountain, subalpine, alpine, and nival) are represented in the Vaud Alps, with an altitude gradient ranging from 372 meters (on the shores of Lake Geneva) to 3,210 meters (the summit of the Diablerets). The eight main environmental groups of Switzerland (Delarze & Gonseth 2008) are found in the Vaudois Alps: Free waters; shores and wetlands; glaciers, rocks, screes, and moraines; meadows and pastures; heathlands, edges, and megaphorbiaes; forests; pioneering vegetation in human-disturbed areas; plantations, fields, and crops.

At low altitudes, deciduous forests (mainly beech forests, with some oak forests in the warmest conditions) are found alongside anthropogenic landscapes (vineyards, meadows, fields, buildings, etc.). At mid-altitudes, the forests are naturally composed of beech and fir trees, although foresters favor spruce trees in these areas. Agriculture remains important, with many meadows and pastures. Higher up, spruce forests dominate, generally marking the upper boundary of the forest zone. Locally, larches and Swiss stone pines can be found. Rhododendron heaths are common in areas less grazed near the forest boundary, and alder bushes locally colonize abandoned pastures. Above this, the alpine zone is primarily occupied by alpine meadows, interspersed with large areas of scree and rocks.

(Written in collaboration with Dr. Pascal Vittoz)