REGIONAL CONFERENCE ON FOREST FIRES PREVENTION AND PREPAREDNESS AND LESSONS LEARNT AFTER FOREST FIRES SEASON 2017

Podgorica, 22-23 February 2018 In the period from 01.06. - 01.09.2017, in the territory of the Municipality of were registered 350 fires on open space on the peninsula Luštica, the mountain Orjen and the hinterlands of Prijevor, Malta and Sutorina. In 2017, the Protection and Rescue Service intervened 791 times on various bases, representing an increase in the number of interventions by 91% compared to 2016. THE NUMBER OF WILDFIRES SPREADING OVER OPEN SPACE

For easier analysis, the burned surfaces are classified into 3 sites: - Lustica peninsula, - Mount Orjen, - The hinterland of Prijevor, Malta and Sutorina.

Satellite image of the burnt territory (Lustica, Orjen and the hinterland of Prejevor, Sutorina and Malta); Summary: table (table No.1): burnt areas in the teritory of by site:

Localities Surface area Municipalities of Herceg Novi by location

Luštica peninsula 13. 316. 504 m2 (1331,6 ha)

Mount Orjen 5. 560. 000 m2 (556,0 ha)

The hinterland of Prijevor, Malta and 2. 246. 600 m2 (224,6 ha) Sutorina

In total: (approx.) 21. 123.104 m2 (2.112,3 ha) Lustica peninsula is an area that suffered the gratest damage due to wildfires that lasted for two entire months and left behind a number od hectares burned. Of the total area of ​​Luštica covering approximately 35.4 km2, over 11 km2 was burned, or 35-40% of its territory. Lustica peninsula is characterized by a variety autochthonous vegetation making up a unique and specific landscape. There is a macchia - degraded Mediterranean forest with the most represented species: plankton (Arbutus unedo), greenland (Phillyea media), big bream (Erica arborea), mastics (Pistacia lentiscus), myrtus communis (Myrtus communis), carob (Ceratonia siliqua) (Laurus nobilis) et al. Also, pine forests are represented - Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis) and Primorye pine (Pinus pinea). Very large areas of olive groves, even hundred of years old, certainly have a floristic, vegetation and commercial value. They are of great importance above all as agricultural land, as an increasing number of households at Lustica are engaged in growing olive trees and olive oil production. Satellite view of the burnt territory of Lustica, Municipality of Herceg Novi (from EFFIS - The European Forest Fire Information System) View of the centers of fire occurring in the territory of Luštica, Herceg Novi Municipality (from EFFIS - The European Forest Fire Information System) Vegetation map of Lustica (taken from PPPNOP); Tabular view of destroyed immovable and movable structures and goods:

LIST OF DESTROYED MOVABLE AND IMMOVABLE STRUCTURES AND GOODS

1. Two-storey residential building with a generator and some timber

2. Two camping trailers

3. Two ancillary buildingss (timper and personal tool)

4. Inflatable boat with a motor Photos of the Lustica peninsula burnt areas .

MOUNT ORJEN

In this area, at an altitude of approx. 1,200 m to 1,600 m above sea level, there are different plant communities. The lower parts of this mountain range are inhabited by communities of black hornbeam and Turkish hazel, which is a protected plant species (Colurno-Ostryetum carpinifoliae). In this zone, European yew (Taxus baccata), also protected plant species, can be found mixed with the Turkish hazel to a lesser extent, in addition to blends of beech and hornbeam communities.

Percentage wise, the community of beech forests together with other deciduous forest species suffered the greatest damage (60%) compared to other plant communities. Vegetation map of Mount Orjen (taken from PPPNOP) Due to difficult accessibility, percentage-based estimates were applied for the massif Orjen, and this the burnt areas covered the following vegetation communities:

Beech forest 60% Low-growing shurbs 20% Hornbeam and Turkish hazel 10% Bosnian pine (an endemic species of black pine) 5% Other plant species 3% Photos of the burnt areas on the Mount Orjen

The burnt areas in the hinterland of Prijevor, Malta and Sutorina, the surrounding area of the mountain peak of Vidov Vrh (750m asl) and the area of Bjelotina (from 750 to 1000 m asl), as well as part of the territory at the border with , in tearms of vegetation, belong to the zone of European-Mediterranean forest (0-400 m asl) and Sub-Mediterranean forests (0-1000 m asl). In the hinterland area of Prijevor, Malta and Sutorina, wildfires destroyed the plant species shown in table below:

Type of tree number of destroyed trees Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis ) 1. Black pine ( Pinus nigra ) 270

Evergreen Oak (Quercus ilex) , 2. Puberscent Oak Quercus pubescens) 34

European hop-hornbeam (Ostrya 3. carpinifolia ) 30 Oriental hornbeam (Carpinus orientalis)

Mediterranean Cypress (Cupressus 4. sempervirens) 7

In total 341 Photos of the burnt area in the hinterland of Prijevor, Malta and Sutorina

It was proven that the Protection and Rescue Service of Herceg Novi Municipality had to be upgraded in terms of equipment and adequate fire vechiles (water tanks of higher carrying capacity).

We are pleased to note that there were no casualites or injuries to citizens and rescuers-firefighters during the interventions in all the mentioned cases. Significant and immeasurable help, as well as great solidarity, was provided to our service by the: •Ministry of interior - Directorate for Emergency Management, • Army of , • Municipal Protection and Rescue Services from other cities of Montenegro, • DVD "Krtoli" (voluntary fire department) from Radovic, •DVD "Bogoljub Brezic“(voluntary fire department) from Perast... International assistance expressed in the form of firefighting aircraft - the Ukrainian Antonov aircraft, the Swiss Super Puma helicopter and the Croatian airplane-type candair and air tractor....all relevant entities in the city and a large number of citizens, private owner... THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION!