In just one month, the affected areas in the country are more than 60 thousand decares, according to the Main Directorate of Fire Safety and Population Protection.
Over 26 thousand decares of them are forest massifs, the Forestry Agency indicated. Their restoration costs an average of 2,000 leva per decare.
However, the figures do not include the large fires in the Forestry Enterprises in Tran, Topolovgrad and Strumyani, where the areas have yet to be specified. In intense fires like those from last month, permanent changes occur in all elements of the ecosystem, especially in the soil. Many of its substances are lost, Assoc. Prof. Georgi Kostov, lecturer at the University of Forestry.
There are several steps to restoration.
"The first activity is to carry out an assessment.. the second part is related to the removal or not of the existing vegetation and then the area must be prepared for afforestation with suitable tree species“, explains Assoc. Prof. Kostov.
Planning, growing seedlings, preparing the terrain and planting are necessary, and it is good to use local species that are resistant to the natural environment. "And then at least another 3 years of mandatory care to replenish the so-called forest crops. The processes are extremely slow. In addition, they are uneven", he also points out.
"The forest grows slowly, so it takes 20-30 years. Considering that in the higher part there are 100-year-old forests, and over 100", says Eng. Ivan Gerin, Deputy Director of the Southwestern State Enterprise.
The Executive Forestry Agency states:
The average cost of afforestation activities for 1 decare is about 2,000 leva, and it can vary depending on the terrain being afforested and whether it is carried out mechanized or through manual labor.
And the advice of experts is to invest in fire prevention, which is much cheaper than each subsequent phase. According to Assoc. Prof. Kostov, fire extinguishing or restoration is up to three times more expensive.