Antonin Hugentobler

On a chilly morning towards the end of winter, an off-road vehicle belonging to the municipality of Scuol winds its way up the narrow forest roads near Tarasp. When Antonin Hugentobler opens the door of his car, his dog Zino jumps out in a flash. He happily and quickly sniffs the still frozen forest floor around the entire vehicle. Zino accompanies his master to work almost every day. This is also the case on this day, when Antonin has to go out because of the defective mobile cable crane. The crane is shared between the municipality of Scuol and Zernez in a joint machinery ring and is a key piece of equipment in the rough forest terrain. It is used to pull the felled tree trunks along taut wire ropes to an accessible spot, from where they can be transported to a collection point with a tractor crane. It is not without reason that sections of road around a logging area are cordoned off, as the ropes are subject to enormous tension and can swing out unpredictably. Unfortunately, these closures are often carelessly ignored by hikers and cyclists. The mobile cable crane's tightly synchronised deployment schedule cannot be ignored, which is why the entire hope of the team on site now lies with Antonin.

The problems with the mobile cable crane that day are serious. Antonin and his team are unable to solve them - an external mechanic has to be called in. This marks the end of Antonin and Zino's short field assignment and it's back to the office in Sent. The forestry office of the municipality of Scuol is based in the former town hall. Antonin manages the municipality's forestry operations from here. Two other forest rangers work in the offices next door. They are all responsible for an assigned municipal area. In addition, his forestry group includes 7 forest wardens, 2 sawyers and 2 apprentices. This is often used incorrectly in common parlance: They are forest wardens who work on the ‘front line’ and deal with timber harvesting and forest maintenance outside. As a forester, you need further training and then take on managerial and administrative work, which involves more time in the office. But they are all specialised in working with wood.

The canton assigns forest policing tasks to the municipalities, but also remunerates them accordingly. Municipalities must therefore employ foresters for clearly defined tasks. Antonin and his team are responsible for around half of all logging in Scuol, the rest is carried out by two private forestry companies. In addition to timber harvesting, their diverse range of tasks also includes forest maintenance and the upkeep of avalanche barriers. If required, they also support the municipal works service in maintaining hiking trails, preparing cross-country ski trails or clearing snow. Antonin greatly appreciates the flexibility of his team for such tasks. Nevertheless, the business plan provides them with a structure, including regulated responsibilities and finances, as well as the operating plan. The latter came into force in 2025 and defines all work per forest parcel according to urgency over the next 12 years.  

Antonin grew up in Scuol and began his professional career with an apprenticeship as a forest warden for the former municipality of Tschlin. He then moved to the forestry company Janett Tschlin, where he also completed his further training as a forester. As a forester, his path led him via the municipality of Valsot to the municipality of Scuol in 2016, where he took over as operations manager just one year later. It is a special privilege for him to be a forester in his own home municipality. He is particularly interested in forest management with regard to climate change. The aim of his work is the long-term preservation of the forest. To this end, he intervenes in what are sometimes very single-layered stands without regeneration and ensures that there is more light. In addition, more deciduous trees are planted and the soil is tilled so that larches and pines thrive better. They are more resistant to drought, warmer temperatures and bark beetle infestation than spruce trees, which still make up more than 50 % of the tree population in the Lower Engadine. A valuable example of this is the mixed deciduous forest near Sfondraz between Vulpera and Nairs, which was planted years ago thanks to the spa hotels there.

The bark beetle is also on the advance in the Lower Engadine. An infestation can only be recognised when it is already too late and the beetles have multiplied considerably. In this case, fine sniffer noses without outward signs can provide good service thanks to the early detection of beetle pheromones. Antonin was literally introduced to the dog by a TV programme about an Austrian who works with a bark beetle detection dog. Antonin fulfilled his long-cherished wish with Zino and started training with him at the Species Detection Dogs Association. This brought him appearances on RTR and SRF with international appeal and lots of positive feedback. It even persuaded others to train their dogs. Zino now trains daily with hidden pheromones and is playfully rewarded when he correctly indicates a tree. How effectively Zino can be used remains to be seen. Even if dogs are not the all-purpose weapon against bark beetles, research has shown that they can achieve a very high hit rate.

Recognising impending dangers as early as possible is also crucial in Antonin's long-standing role as President of the Scuol Avalanche Commission. The four of them use various IT systems to assess the snow and danger situation, take weather forecasts into account and set up barriers. These are incorporated directly into the winter sports report. They receive support from various snow measuring stations, which are also managed by private individuals. This results in some major differences - quite possible in Switzerland's largest municipality with several valleys. Antonin uses a map with possible avalanche tracks, for which there are also evacuation plans, to provide an overview. In contrast to the Motta Naluns ski area, with which they work closely, the municipality can only carry out snow blasting at one location in Val Sinestra. That would make the work a lot easier.

Hiking, mountaineering or ski touring - Antonin particularly enjoys being high up. He goes even higher by helicopter when Rega picks him up on the rescue hoist for difficult rescues. As Head of Rescue at Swiss Alpine Rescue, he is responsible for planning and coordinating the four local rescue centres in Val Müstair, Zernez, Scuol and Samnaun. On-call services ensure availability at each station. In the event of an accident, the Operations Centre in Zurich puts together the rescue operation based on the location of the incident, the helicopter and the rescuers. Air rescue is not always possible; sometimes a mission has to be carried out on land. The local rescuers' good network and knowledge of the terrain are a great advantage here. Around 25 rescue and search operations are carried out in the destination every year, sometimes with tragic outcomes. Open dialogue within the team after a mission is therefore crucial for mental processing. But whatever happens, Antonin remains committed to improving safety in the region.