Thousands of Hectares of Fruska Gora’s Forest Destroyed

The National Park Fruska Gora (PHOTO: BETA/DRAGAN GOJIC)

In two storms that have swept across the territory of Backa, 1,300 hectares of forest were destroyed, and trees were broken or damaged in an area of 14,000 hectares within the National Park Fruska Gora, the Provincial Institute for Nature Conversation reported, adding that those were not the final statistics as to the losses.

A special nature reserve, “Koviljsko-Petrovaradinnski Rit” marshes, suffered enormous damage in the two storms, and the situation is similar in another nature reserve “Karadjordjevo,” as well as the nature partks “Tikvara” in Backa Palanka and “Begecka Jama.”

Aside from the 1,300 hectares of forest lost in the two storms, another 700 hectares have been damaged to the point that the area requires a complete reconstruction.

Alen Kis of the Institute explained in an interview with the RTS state broadcaster that the loss had been estimated at some 200,000 cubic meters of trees across the Bosutske Sume forests, very important as one of the central areas of ecological network.

“To rectify the damage in a situation in which the trees have been completely torn apart and intertwined takes more time than replanting the area. The expectation is that it will take at least ten years to rehabilitate the forest completely,” Kis said.