Landslides repeatedly cause damage in steep terrain and, therefore, the prediction of landslide susceptibility is important. In this context, comprehensive inventories with detailed information on shallow rainfall triggered landslides have been established in Switzerland. The present database includes information on more than 600 individual landslides. The data illustrate that slope inclination belongs to the most decisive parameters. Landslides occurred on slopes with inclinations from 20° to 50° with a majority on slopes of 35°–40°. The angles of internal friction of the landslide soil mostly range between 31° and 35°. Vegetation effects, particularly the existence of forest, are important reasons that slopes with inclinations of more than 35° were stable before the respective hazard events. This is supported by the fact that, in the majority of the event-inventories, landslide density is lower in forested areas than on open land. However, not only the presence of forest has an effect on slope stability but also its condition. Additionally, terrain morphology near the landslide seems to be relevant. A filtering procedure based on (i) soil mechanics and slope inclination, (ii) forest structure and (iii) terrain morphology explained more than 95% of 218 landslides in forested terrain. Additional case studies confirmed that forest structural characteristics do have an important influence on root reinforcement and shallow landslide susceptibility. For example a gap length of >20 m seems to be a critical threshold for landslide triggering. The study confirms that forest structure has - together with geomorphological and hydrological conditions - an important influence on shallow landslide susceptibility.