According to the latest assessments by the institute, as much as half a million hectares of forest were damaged by the ice storm in early February.

Around seven million cubic metres of wood will have to be cut, which is nearly twice as much as initially thought, Oražem said.

The figures could still rise slightly as some areas are still inaccessible and the institute is looking hoping for weather to improve in order to use satellite imagery to finalise the assessment.

The institute believes that around 660 hectares of forest will have to be completely cleared and new trees planted.

The financial assessment of the damage caused is based on the type of wood damaged and includes lost income and costs of clearing damaged areas, but not damage stemming from the environmental and social role of forests.

The planting of new trees and repair of forest roads is estimated at 10% of the total damage assessment.