Every year, over 10,000 hours for a safe visiting experience
The forest here also acts as a guardian of Vintgar and is part of the 8% of Slovenia’s forests that act as protection forests, playing an important role in protecting both themselves and lower-lying areas.
Every season a team of 20 workers come to the aid of the forest in an effort to protect the trail and visitors. Between November and March they put in more than 10,000 hours of work replacing protective netting and inspecting the rocks on the slopes above the gorge. The latter operation is carried out with the help of ropes, with the team lowering themselves twice a day. As they descend, they examine every rock with their hands and remove those that are in danger of breaking off and falling on to the path below.
Natural disaster
In the winter of 2014 the forest on the slopes of Hom and Boršt was hit by an ice storm. Rain falling from an area of warmer air froze when it came into contact with the cold surface on the ground, blanketing the trees in a thick layer of ice. The crowns and branches of these trees broke under the weight of the ice, the roots gave way and the trees fell to the ground, roots and all. Some trees then slid down the steep slopes, triggering landslides as they went.
The inaccessibility of the terrain made repairing the damage difficult, although it was essential in order to ensure the safety of visitors. At last the slopes were cleared of dangerous accumulations of rocks and fallen trees. Some standing trees represented a danger and had to be cut down. Their wood can still be seen today, safely stacked on the slope of Hom.