Illegal felling of trees on the Kučki river beds this year has reached alarming proportions, and forest thieves have unblocked old and broken new roads to the old beech forest in that area.
Several locals and mountaineers complained to "Vijesti" that the consequences of uncontrolled logging are visible to the naked eye, and that forest thieves do not hesitate to cut down trees along the road.
"Above the road to Radeća, the forest was 'massacred', as is the case above Korit on the road leading to Zatrijebačka Košuta. All the roads that were broken earlier due to illegal logging, and which were blocked by filled gravel and large rocks, are passable again this year. They brought heavy machinery and removed obstacles," one of the locals told "Vijesta".
As he explained, some residents of Kučki Korita are involved in illegal logging, but for the last two years, they have also been coming from Podgorica to mark the forest and prepare wood.
"It's all state forest. They mark it with a sign and then cut it. The forest was so destroyed that they also cut young trees this year."
As he pointed out, a few years ago, following the reaction of a couple of locals who reported illegal logging, it was stopped.
"However, it is cut mercilessly, to ban it, it will take a lot to recover the forest. And the best way to see how much it has taken off is by comparing it with photos from before," said one of the locals.
Macadam roads were broken towards Radeca, Crno rupa, Aruša rupa.
“The black hole is a huge meadow in the middle of the forest. There they pull out the trees, cut them and load them onto trucks. Many are against it, but out of fear, they must not confront the forest thieves. And the authorities do not react".
The Forestry Administration replied to "Vijesta" that according to their records, and based on the report of the regional unit Podgorica, on the territory of which Kučka Korita is located, this year there were eight illegal logging operations in that area.
"And 33,11 cubic meters of gross volume, or 28,11 m3 net." In 2019, there were seven illegal fellings in the Kučki Korita region, and that was 45,03 m3 gross, i.e. 38,27 cubic meters of net volume," said Zehra Demić, Head of Cultivation and Protection in the Forestry Administration.
She announced that there was illegal logging in the area in 2018 as well, that is, they recorded five cases, and that 11,99 cubic meters of gross volume, or 10,20 net, were cut.
"In 2017, four illegal logging operations were recorded in the Kučki Korita area, namely 6,28 cubic meters of gross volume, i.e. 5,34 net. Criminal reports for illegal activities have been processed by the competent authorities".
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