11.01.2005 - RMK assesses the scope of forest damage with the help of aerial surveillance 29.09

Today, on January 11 at 10 o’clock the State Forest Management Board (RMK) sent experts from Tallinn and Tartu airports to perform aerial surveillance in order to map the forest damage caused by the storm.

Based on the initial assessment the storm that raged during the weekend ravaged the most in the counties of Viljandi and Pärnu. The storm also caused major damage in the counties of Valga and Jõgeva. Pursuant to the preliminary assessment the storm damage in state forest accounted to 426,000 cubic metres, but because of the breakdown of the communications networks it was not possible to get data as regards all the forest districts.

According to the marketing manager of the RMK Forest Management Department, Ulvar Kaubi, the future activities will be decided upon after a more detailed overview of the extent of damage is received. “We will perform aerial surveillance in the counties of Pärnu, Viljandi, Valga and Jõgeva which, based on the information received, are the most damaged areas. Aerial surveillance will help us to assess the extent of damage in the regions and in the forests to which we have no access by land,” said Kaubi. In addition to assessing the forest damage, the employees of the forest districts have joined forces to clean the forest roads of the trees that have fallen down.

RMK will give more detailed information as regards the forest damage caused by the storm on Wednesday evening, January 12. In order to obtain an overview of forest damage an airplane also took off yesterday, but due to poor weather conditions the mapping was impossible and the airplane returned.

Additional information:Ulvar Kaubi
Marketing manager of RMK Forest Management Department
phone: +372 513 7042
e-mail: ulvar.kaubirmk.ee
www.rmk.ee/en