The ecology and spread of the stone pine in the subalpine zone of southern Switzerland are discussed with reference to both vegetation relevés with Pinus cembra L. from Vergeletto valley (Canton Ticino) and forest history and botany publications. The ecograms and lists of tree species given in the recent literature are often contradictory, so that it is difficult to use them with confidence. This means that only verifiable and published relevés and analyses based on them may serve as a basis to evaluate the implementation and check the results of forest management in Switzerland.