ARMENIA TREE PROJECT
65 Main Street
Watertown, MA 02472 USA
Contact: Jeff Masarjian
Tel: (617) 926-8733
Email: jeff@armeniatree.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 26, 2005
Armenia Tree Project Launches Unique Campaign of Remembrance and Renewal
WATERTOWN, MA–Nationwide, Armenia suffers from ecocide as a result of
unsustainable tree-cutting practices. At the turn of the 19th century, an
estimated 25 percent of Armenia was covered by trees. Today’s estimate of
tree coverage is as low as eight percent. According to the World Bank, 80
percent of Armenia is at risk of becoming desert, and at the current rate of
deforestation the last of the forests could disappear in 20 years.
To counter this threat, Armenia Tree Project (ATP) recently announced the
launch of a `Trees of Hope’ campaign in observance of this year’s 90th
anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. As part of this campaign, ATP invited
the participation of Armenians from around the world to sponsor Trees of
Hope. The inaugural planting will begin with 90,000 trees, symbolizing the
90 years that have passed since the Genocide.
`Our goal is to grow many thousands of Trees of Hope to maturity in time for
the milestone 100th anniversary commemoration,’ stated ATP Executive
Director Jeff Masarjian. `These memorial trees are an inspiring way to honor
our lost ancestors, and a very practical way to preserve the precious
Armenian Homeland.’
During the winter of 1992 while visiting Armenia, ATP founder Carolyn Mugar
saw that thousands of trees were being cut for fuel during the energy
shortages of the early 1990s, so she decided to commit towards preventing
further deforestation in Armenia.
ATP’s efforts in Armenia were officially launched with a tree-planting at
the Nork Senior Center in 1994. Since then, thousands of trees were planted
in Armenian communities throughout the country as part of the Sponsor-A-Tree
program, state-of-the-art nurseries were opened in the villages of Karin and
Khachpar, and forest rejuvenation programs were implemented at
Tsitsernakaberd Park and elsewhere.
Rep. Frank Pallone of New Jersey, who is the co-chair of the Congressional
Caucus on Armenian Issues, has participated in memorial tree plantings with
ATP at the Tsitsernakaberd Genocide Memorial and is a major supporter of the
program.
`Armenia Tree Project’s goal of planting 90,000 trees this year is a fitting
tribute to the victims of the Armenian Genocide. With the environmental
degradation that severely afflicted most of the former Soviet countries, the
trees planted this year will not only serve as a strong reminder of the
Genocide, but also help produce an environmental renaissance. I commend ATP
for the important work it is doing,’ stated Rep. Pallone.
Given the importance of breaking ground during this year’s planting season,
the Trees of Hope initiative has been supported by a comprehensive campaign
designed to reach a wide audience. The community-based campaign includes
print advertising, direct mail, and promotion on the Internet. It also
extended to broadcast media in Armenia to help raise awareness of ATP and
generate enthusiasm among local communities who will directly benefit from
the program, both environmentally and economically.
A 60-second television and radio spot was made in Armenia in support of the
Trees of Hope campaign. It is being broadcast on satellite television and
community radio programs in North America and Armenia. The piece–which was
created by world-class animators at Triada Studio and produced by Vem Media
Arts, both located in Yerevan–may also be seen on the ATP Web site at
`Congratulations for the wonderful work ATP is doing. Deforestation is a
huge problem everywhere and it is the work of people like you that helps to
counter this threat,’ said Tim Willmott, co-founder of the Web of Hope. The
UK-based Web of Hope provides the world’s first global distillation of `best
practice’ models for sustainability.
Commenting on the Trees of Hope campaign initiated in observance of the
Genocide, Mr. Willmott stated, `Peace is too frequently left out of the
sustainability debate. How can people possibly think about the future of the
planet when their lives and the lives of their loved ones are under
threat–the genocide of the Armenian people should not be forgotten, a
reminder of what can happen when others look away.’
Since 1994, ATP has made enormous strides in combating desertification in
the biologically diverse but threatened Caucasus region. Over 574,000 trees
have been planted and restored, and hundreds of jobs have been created in
ATP’s seasonal tree-regeneration programs.
In 2005, ATP is working on three major initiatives: planting 90,000 trees at
urban and rural sites throughout the country, environmental education and
advocacy in Armenia, and community socio-economic development and poverty
reduction. `The socio-economic impact of the global crisis of deforestation
cannot be underestimated,’ stated Ian McIntosh, International Projects
Director at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. `Precious
soil, the very foundation of a nation’s livelihood, is being washed away as
a consequence of irresponsible and unmanaged tree cutting and inevitable
erosion.’
`Yet in Armenia, high up on the list of endangered environments, there is a
ray of hope. It is called Armenia Tree Project. By planting `trees of hope,’
Armenians build forests of memories that will sustain the people for
generations to come. Further,’ added Dr. McIntosh, `supporters of ATP are
creating an example of forest restoration and environmental protection that
can inspire the world to do the same and give us all a future to cherish.’
ATP has a full-time staff of 53, of whom 47 are employed in Armenia. The
Yerevan branch manages two tree nurseries, partners with villagers to create
tree-based micro-enterprise opportunities in Aygut and other parts of the
Getik River Valley, creates urban green belts for public use, restores
degraded forest lands, and employs hundreds of part-time workers.
`Trees of Hope is an important and inspiring initiative by Armenia Tree
Project in commemoration of the 90th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide,’
noted Simon Payaslian, Kaloosdian/Mugar Chair of Armenian Genocide Studies
and Modern Armenian History at Clark University.
`Apart from strengthening the ecological integrity and contributing to the
general economic prosperity of Armenia, planting trees across Armenia in
memory of the 1.5 million victims of the Genocide also bears powerful
testimony to the persistence of memory and survival, to the transition from
loss to revival,’ added Dr. Payaslian. `Trees of Hope clearly and in
concrete terms indicate that the current generation of Armenians cares about
the physical and spiritual well-being of the future generations.’
Those who adopt Trees of Hope may participate with gifts for propagating,
planting, and caretaking of one tree, or four-tree clusters, an
eight-tree grove, a 35-tree arbor, or pledge a 100-tree woodland or
335-tree forest. For additional information, call (617) 926-8733 or go to
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress