The Slovenian government has stressed public interests in fighting against the worst ever bark beetle scourge in the country's forests.

The call was made on Tuesday at the first meeting of a task group dealing with the bark beetle disaster, urging the legislative to bring about changes that would enable a faster and more effective response.

The ongoing bark beetle scourge is expected to claim more than two million cubic metres of spruce this year, reported by Slovenian Press Agency (STA), quoting the officials at the meeting.

Damjan Orazem, head of the national forest service, said that the extent of the current scourge meant the largest disaster in Slovenia's forests to date. So far more than a million of cubic metres of forest have been cut down.

"We can only reduce the numbers with timely action. At this point it is up to the owners to discover and put away the infested trees soon enough," he said.

Jost Jaksa, who heads the Forestry Directorate at the Agriculture Ministry, noted that "it will also be necessary to encroach on the right to property, since violating the right of one can protect the property right of hundreds or more".

"This is about public interest," Jaksa said, urging an overhaul of legislative procedures. While Jaksa stressed that anyone who failed to perform their duty in time would be penalised, Orazem pointed about the damage suffered by owners of infested wood.

Healthy spruce sells for 80 to 90 euros per cubic metre, while infested wood, which has blue stains, is worth 20 to 25 euros less.

"Last year an average forest owner suffered a damage of between 250 to 300 euros, while 1,100 euros in damage per average owner was prevented," said Orazem. (1 euro =1.1 U.S. dollars)

Source : XINHUA