ARMENIA TREE PROJECT
65 Main Street
Watertown, MA 02472
Tel: (617) 926-TREE
Email: jason@armeniatree.org
Web:

PRESS RELEASE
December 12, 2008

Armenia Tree Project’s Green Dream Is Coming True

— Nearly 2,500,000 Trees Planted and Restored Since 1994

YEREVAN–Armenia Tree Project (ATP) has just completed the planting of
460,070 trees in 2008, bringing the total number of trees planted and
restored close to 2,500,000 since the organization was founded in 1994.

This fall, ATP’s Rural and Mountainous Development (RMD) Program planted
402,720 tree seedlings at new forest sites in the Gegharkunik and Lori
regions, while the Community Tree Planting (CTP) Program planted 57,350
trees at 188 sites in 10 regions of Armenia.

CTP Program Works in Urban and Rural Communities

"The number of trees planted by the CTP program exceeded our annual
objectives. All of these high-quality indigenous tree seedlings were planted
at sites chosen to maximize the survival rate due to the availability of
irrigation water, fencing and monitoring, soil quality, as well as the
inspiration and willingness of the local population to care for the trees,"
stated program manager Anahit Gharibyan.

The CTP program planted 22,085 trees and shrubs from ATP’s Karin and
Khachpar nurseries in the spring, along with 1,300 pine seedlings from the
Mirak Family Reforestation Nursery which were planted in collaboration with
the Nor Nork Greenery Department.

In the fall, the CTP program planted 33,965 trees and shrubs at 97 sites in
Yerevan and nine regions of Armenia. In addition, ATP’s apricot, wild apple,
peach, and pear trees at 115 sites provided a harvest of 227,439 kg (507,317
lbs) of fresh fruit which benefited the local communities and institutions.

Throughout the year, ATP’s CTP program participated in events and
environmental campaigns launched at Tsitsernakaberd, Kashatagh, Nubarashen,
Noravank, Khor Virap, and elsewhere. ATP supported these initiatives by
providing healthy seedlings along with special training on planting
techniques and tree care.

For example, ATP worked with organizations and students to plant trees at
the Nubarashen Boarding School, and worked with HSBC Bank, Synopsys CJSC,
American University of Armenia, Armenian Monuments Awareness Project, and a
number of other institutions operating in Armenia.

The CTP program also increased the number of beneficiaries of its planting
project in 15 villages where 5,572 families have benefited from the fruit
trees planted by ATP since 2004. The village planting project was initiated
to improve the quality of rural backyard gardens in order to present them to
ATP donors for sponsorship.

RMD Program Plants Over 400,000 Trees

ATP began a completely new reforestation program on a 40 hectare (100 acre)
plot of community owned land in Jrashen, near ATP’s Mirak Family Nursery and
the newly planned Michael and Virginia Ohanian Environmental Center in
Margahovit. "It was noteworthy that ATP established a new forest and
obtained the land in Jrashen as a result of collaboration with Armenia’s
Hayantar State Forestry Service," noted RMD program manager Vadim Uzunyan.
This fall, ATP began by planting the first 7,000 oak seedlings at the site
in cooperation with Hayantar.

"ATP had the full support of the community and 25 trained tree-planters
hired from the Lori region welcomed the opportunity to work as part of the
ATP initiative. This program has allowed families to improve their
socio-economic situation, while at the same time improving the local
environment and natural resource base," stated Uzunyan.

This year a total of 399 rural families from the Gegharkunik and Tavush
regions grew 309,720 seedlings in their backyards, which were purchased by
ATP for reforestation purposes. The program received the prestigious Energy
Globe Award for Sustainability at the European Parliament in May. The other
86,000 reforestation seedlings were planted this fall from ATP’s Mirak
Family Nursery.

ATP hired 100 local residents to plant new seedlings on 100 hectares (250
acres) of land belonging to the communities of Aygut and Dprabak. "The local
residents were inspired and enthusiastic about the reforestation initiated
by ATP to combat the interrelated problems of deforestation and massive
landslides that threaten the villages of the Getik River Valley," noted
Uzunyan. "Landslides became more frequent and destroyed the homes of a
number of families this year. These families understand that
well-established and maintained forests have the potential to provide
economic, social, and environmental benefits."

PHOTO CAPTIONS

The apricot, wild apple, peach, and pear trees planted by Armenia Tree
Project provided a harvest of 227,439 kg (507,317 lbs) of fresh fruit in
2008; this photo was taken in July after the apricot harvest at St. Gevork
Monastery in Mughni

ATP’s Rural and Mountainous Development Program planted 402,720 tree
seedlings at new forest sites in Gegharkunik and Lori in 2008; the program
creates employment for hundreds of workers every year

Note to editors: The photographs for this story are available in color if
you can use them for your print publication or web site. Please write to
jason@armeniatree.org for color versions of photos if needed.