Beech is the second most important tree species in Switzerland, covering a wide range of the forested area with varying site conditions. In many forest communities of the sub-montane and lower montane range, beech is the dominant tree species; whereas from the lower to middle montane zone, beech becomes less important in comparison to spruce and fir. Beech accounts for around 17% of the Swiss total growing stock, which explains its importance for timber production. The rotation time for good quality timber is around 100 - 140 years. Since beech has been regenerated naturally for a long time, beech provenances for artificial regeneration have played only a marginal role so far. Nevertheless, in studies from the beginning of the 20th century, Swiss lowland provenances were compared to provenances from higher altitudes. Furthermore, in the Danish provenance trial, the two tested Swiss provenances Adliswil and Sihlwald were found to be of superior economic returns. However, Switzerland is not carrying out provenance trials under COST E52, although some Swiss provenances have been tested in other European countries. Recently, several projects have been undertaken studying  environmental impacts on beech in Switzerland. Further investigations will be needed to understand better the impact of climatic changes and raising CO₂ on the distribution and growth of beech in Switzerland. At least model simulations suggest an altitudinal upward shift in beech distribution due to increasing drought, if beech does not have the plasticity or the evolutionary potential combined with the required time to adapt to future environmental conditions.