Maleshevo, Plachkovica and Belasica topped summer forest permits
Maleshevo received 1,906 permits during the July 1–September 30 ban; many visitors sought trails, waterfalls and forest berries.
The highest number of forest-access permits issued during the three-month summer ban went to areas around Maleshevo, Plachkovica and Belasica, Public Enterprise National Forests reported. Authorities released figures showing 1,906 permits for Maleshevo, 1,658 for Plachkovica and 1,301 for Belasica.
Reasons behind the demand
Mountaineers and local guides say the surge reflects summer tourism, daytrippers and the collection of wild berries and herbs. “Maleshevo, specifically Berovo Lake, during the summer period is visited by a large number of tourists who come for weekends or day trips. For them a permit was required to walk through the forests by the water. Besides that, Maleshevo and Plachkovica are rich in forest fruits and herbs, which are attractive for collection by citizens, so I believe that's why they are at the top. For Belasica the reason is different, there is tourism, the Smolar and Koleshin Waterfalls, the springs in Mokrino. All these places in summer are an opportunity to escape the heat and city noise,” says Slobodan Dimovski, a mountaineer and forest lover.
The prohibition on free movement in the forest lasted three months, from July 1 to September 30. The ban was enforced by police, forest police and foresters, while fines for being caught in the woods without written permission ranged from 1,500 to 2,000 euros in denar equivalent.
Public Enterprise National Forests noted that the Directorate's Sector for Forest Protection, Supervision and Internal Control issued a total of 115 approvals for movement in forests, mainly for legal entities. Each approval included a list of persons authorised to enter the forest for work duties.
The enterprise also pointed out that a single permit can cover one or more people, so the raw count of permits does not directly equal the number of citizens who actually spent time in the forests. Both natural persons and legal entities applied — including hiking clubs, fieldwork contractors and researchers.
Numbers in 2026 were similar to those in 2025. During the three-month ban the Babuna branch in Veles issued 483 permits for movement across Jakupica. Officials also highlighted lower recorded permit numbers for western parts of the country, explaining that in Western Macedonia national park services issued permits on site and collected a fee of 100 denars, reducing central permit applications.
Photo: SDK.MK)
