Heavy rainfall over the past ten days in Una-Sana Canton (USC) has caused major issues for the operations and business of Forest Economic Company “Unsko-sanske sume” d.o.o. Bosanska Krupa, resulting in significant material damage.
“Due to intense rains and extremely saturated soil, we have been forced to temporarily suspend the production of forest wood assortments at the Management Unit for the municipality of Bosanska Krupa, as well as in the forestry departments of Bihac, Sanski Most, and Bosanski Petrovac. Additionally, due to the emergence of groundwater, work at the Wood Industry Sanica Branch has been temporarily halted,” stated Forest Economic Company Unsko-sanske sume.
Despite the unfavorable weather conditions, the dispatch of forest wood assortments continued, reaching 114% completion in March, while the total dispatch for the January-March 2025 period was carried out at 122%. Compared to the plan, 14.000 cubic meters more of various wood assortments were delivered.
The rainfall has also caused significant damage to forest roads. According to Amil Mehic, Manager of the Construction, Mechanization, and Maintenance Branch in Bosanski Petrovac, due to the large amount of water and the inability to provide adequate drainage, there is a need for repairs to the road surface layer in multiple locations. An active landslide has been recorded in Section 56, G.J. Mulez-Ljubinska Planina, where previous stabilization work had already been conducted.
In addition to damaged roads, the forest complexes have also suffered losses. In the Sanski Most Forestry Branch alone, a large number of broken and uprooted trees have been observed, with initial estimates indicating around 10.000 cubic meters of damaged wood.
“The damage caused by heavy rainfall will not be quickly repaired, and the consequences for forest complexes and roads, which are crucial to our work, are particularly concerning. We are assessing and planning urgent interventions to ensure the continuation of operations,” emphasized Forest Economic Company Unsko-sanske sume.
A strong torrent in the village of Trnovi recently swept away an off-road vehicle belonging to Forest Economic Company, in which three employees of the Sanski Most Forestry Branch were traveling to a work site. The workers managed to exit through the window and climb onto the roof of the vehicle, where they waited for help.
Rescue service members soon arrived and evacuated them, and with the help of Trnovi residents, the vehicle was later pulled out of the water.
Photo: archive
