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April 21, 2008

Armenia Tree Project Concludes Spring Planting Season at Tsitsernakaberd and 90 Other Sites in Time for Earth Day Celebrations

ATP specialist Genik Movsisyan is part of a team that trains residents on tree care and planting techniques, so ATP’s seedlings are protected and high survival rates are ensured
Armenia Tree Project has pledged to plant another 650,000 trees in Armenia this year as part of the UN Environment Program’s Billion Tree Campaign; ATP has already planted 23,385 trees this spring at 91 sites including the Yerevan State Medical University

YEREVAN--Every day is Earth Day for Armenia Tree Project (ATP). Upon the eve of Earth Day this month, ATP completed its spring planting of 23,385 trees at 91 sites around the country. ATP planted 22,085 decorative and fruit trees from its Karin and Khachpar nurseries, as well as 1,300 pine trees from the Mirak Family Reforestation Nursery in Margahovit.

“We are proud of the work of our Community Tree Planting program which plants trees all over Armenia, from public sites in Yerevan to rural villages around the country,” stated Executive Director Jeff Masarjian. “Each year we are especially proud to accomplish this work in time for Earth Day, which is celebrated around the world on April 22, although our environmental restoration programs are conducted throughout the year.”

ATP specialist Genik Movsisyan is part of a team that trains residents on tree care and planting techniques, so ATP’s seedlings are protected and high survival rates are ensured ATP has continued its partnerships with institutions and communities in Armenia this spring including the Tsitsernakaberd Genocide Memorial, the Sardarabad Museum, and the Diaconia Settlement of Hope; these children participated in a planting in Lernanist Village on April 11, 2008

ATP has continued its partnerships with a number of institutions and community sites in Armenia this spring, including the Tsitsernakaberd Genocide Memorial, the Sardarabad Museum, and the Diaconia Settlement of Hope. Tsitsernakaberd received more than 800 new trees, including 100 indigenous ash trees planted on April 12 in collaboration with HSBC Bank’s Climate Partnership program.

In the field of environmental education ATP plans to train another 540 public school teachers this year to use its “Plant an Idea, Plant a Tree” curriculum, and already more than 120 teachers have participated in seminars in Yerevan, Sisian, Goris, and Gyumri. ATP also planted 50 trees at the Berdzor Reception House, which is located in the strategic Lachin Corridor linking Armenia with Karabagh.

“This work is vital for Armenia’s future because the country has less than eight percent forest cover as highlighted in a recent study conducted by the Economy and Values Research Center,” noted Masarjian. “Deforestation is a significant environmental threat because of its impact on ecosystem habitats, its role in biodiversity loss, and lost revenue from the associated benefits of forests.”

“Our work seeks to reverse this trend, and we’ve been successful in planting and restoring more than two million trees at over 725 sites around Armenia and Karabagh since 1994,” added Masarjian. “We’ve made a pledge to the UN Environment Program’s Billion Tree Campaign to plant at least 600,000 trees in Armenia this year.”

Since 1994, ATP has planted and restored more than two million trees and created hundreds of jobs for impoverished Armenians in tree-regeneration programs. The organization’s three tiered initiatives are tree planting, community development to reduce poverty and promote self-sufficiency, and environmental education to protect Armenia’s precious natural resources. For more information, visit the ATP web site at www.armeniatree.org.

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