ARMENIA TREE PROJECT
400 W Cummings Park, Suite 3900
Woburn, MA 01801 USA
Tel: (617) 926-TREE
Web: www.armeniatree.org
PRESS RELEASE
ATP Expands Green Landscapes with 87,724 More Trees and a New Park
YEREVAN--This spring, Armenia Tree Project (ATP) planted another 87,724
trees at 113 sites across the country and established a new public park in
Ashtarak.
However, rejoicing in the season was difficult when there was widespread
"deep pruning" of trees and reports of continued logging. The public was
left dumbfounded from scenes of headless and wounded mature trees around
Yerevan. In addition, the media shed light on tree cutting in protected
areas. One of the places where logging was reported was Dilijan National
Park, where several healthy trees were chopped down and an investigation is
pending.
"At this rate we need to act without delay and work together for any hope of
saving our homeland from grim springs in the future," emphasizes Executive
Director Jeanmarie Papelian. "By end of spring, the total number of trees
we've planted since 1994 is 5,304,224! That's 5,304,224 expressions of hope
in Armenia's future. It's something we can all be proud of, and it will
deliver benefits locally and globally for many years to come."
ATP's Community Tree Planting division planted 23,617 at 110 sites in every
region including Artsakh. From the total, 3,456 were fruit trees which are
always popular at public sites.
On Earth Day, a major planting event was organized at Zvartnots Cathedral,
where participants made pledges to help save the environment. What's more, a
new public park was established in Ashtarak, near Karin Village where ATP's
flagship tree nursery is located. The park was inaugurated by students from
New Jersey's Hovnanian School and Yerevan's European School, who planted the
first trees along the boundary of the park.
"The park in Ashtarak is the first of its kind for us. We've planted groves,
forests and even helped green parks before but this will be our first new
park in the very sense of the word," explains Deputy Director Arthur
Harutyunyan. "We're going to install benches, walking paths, a roundabout
and even a bike stand. The park will give us the opportunity to concentrate
trees in one place where they can be named and gifted, while providing a
recreational area for the new community that will shape around the park."
ATP's Forestry department had a productive season with favorable weather
conditions allowing the team to plant 64,107 trees. The plantings took place
in the northern towns of Tashir and Stepanavan. About 40 residents, who were
provided with temporary jobs, came to ensure their descendants would have
green spaces and clean air to breathe.
"I worked with my hands, I put my sweat and my heart into it. It's like this
forest is my own," said Viola Kazarov, one of the planters in Tashir.
"This fall, our Forestry and CTP teams plan to plant another 150,000 trees,
so there's lots to be done in terms of site selection, training of local
tree planters, and preparing sites with fencing and irrigation to make sure
the trees will have a strong survival rate," adds Papelian.
"Going green and sustainability have become popular buzzwords and are a way
of life for many of us. By supporting ATP, you are riding the wave of
environmentalism that respects life on our planet today, and into the
future," she concludes.