EUR 5,000 to restore one hectare of forest

EUR 5,000 to restore one hectare of forest

The cost of removing the surviving trees from the forests is about EUR 3,000-4,000, and they must be removed before the damage spreads to healthy trees, he said.

Since the soil composition has been damaged physically and chemically, plants will have a harder time surviving as well, a problem which will entail added costs of in between EUR 1,300-1,500.

Aleksić said that the biggest problem is that 30 to 50 years are needed for the formation of new forests, in order to be restored to the state they were in before the fires.

Meanwhile, Defense Minister Dragan Šutanovac met with Serbian helicopter pilots engaged in putting out fires on Stara Mountain.

The pilots were from the 119th mixed helicopter squadron from Niš who were engaged in putting out forest fires in the region.

A statement from the ministry said that Šutanovac “praised their efforts to extinguish the fires although only three helicopters were engaged in the operation, which nevertheless managed to discharge over 150 tons of water.”

Šutanovac said that the Serbian Army has “well-trained pilots, but lacks equipment”, which is why it is necessary to provide four new helicopters for that purpose.

Šutanovac was also reported as saying that 2008 will see “better opportunities for investing in technical equipment of the Serbian Army and raising the living standards of its members.”