ARMENIAN TREE PROJECT: NEARLY 2,5 M TREES PLANTED

Lragir.am
14:13:23 – 26/12/2008

Fruit trees planted by ATP provided a harvest of 227,439 kg (507,317
lbs) of fresh fruit in 2008; Photo after the apricot harvest at
St. Gevork Monastery in Mughni 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 the20newly 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 landslid es 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," the press release of the ATP runs.