Did this beauty have to be destroyed: Cataclysmic images from Fojnica!

The Prangija hill above Fojnica, or Križ (Cross) as it is also called, is one of Fojnica's landmarks. However, in recent days, visitors to this small Bosnian town and residents of Fojnica have been witnessing cataclysmic images of the devastated hill, reports the Patria News Agency.

Reportedly, the age of the trees took its toll, and according to the Fojnica Municipality, the tall trees on Prangija had started to pose a danger to the houses located below the hill, especially to the Hadrovići settlement.

Photo taken last winter

Some individuals claim that a complete clear-cutting was not necessary, and when asked if complete felling of even the smallest trees had to be carried out during the remediation, the Municipality stated:

- The Fojnica Forestry Department provided an expert opinion. The designated individual trees were marked for felling, with the note that in section 03 of the same department, a clear-cutting of 0.6 hectares had to be carried out because the spruce trees were located on rocky and stony ground, and during even a slight gust of wind, they would have been uprooted due to their impressive dimensions with a trunk diameter of over 100 cm and a shallow root system. 

However, after the felling, some trees remained that were estimated to be uprooted, as spruce is a type of tree prone to mass uprooting even at the slightest wind speeds. Additionally, there were many mechanically damaged trees in the newly cleared area, as well as broken trees (consequences of the felling), which, from an expert perspective, require removal as they pose a calamity for the spruce, which would further increase the problem, not only for the nearby trees but also for other parts of the forest in the vicinity of Fojnica – claims the Fojnica Municipality.

They also claim that reforestation with fruit trees is planned for this location in 2018, in the spring/autumn period.

- To minimize the consequences, on one hand, for the protection of this part of the forest, and on the other hand, due to the fears of the residents inhabiting this belt, it was unavoidable that these trees be marked and felled – they state.

The now non-existent forest was located to the right of the Franciscan Monastery, a national monument, and below it was the mosque, the oldest in this region, built in 1571.

Immediately next to the mosque is another National Monument in danger of collapse, the Salihagić house.

- Someone should investigate everything that was done, although it is too late now. But we suspect that not everything was done in the best possible way. Instead of focusing on tourism, Fojnica Mayor Sabahudin Klisura opted for non-tourism and clear-cutting – says our source.