Environmental News

Armenia Tree Project Anniversary and Goals
By Moorad Mooradian, PhD

Armenian Mirror-Spectator
July 18, 2009

I want to thank the newspaper and my readers for their concern, calls and cards during my recent hospitalization. I appreciate all the support and prayers of my family and my extended readership family.

When you are not well, you are inclined to reflect on your priorities. My thoughts and feelings about my Armenian heritage and our ancestors, homeland, and desire to somehow improve the conditions in Armenia for our brethren coincides with the 15th anniversary of an organization that is close to my heart, the Armenia Tree Project (ATP).

I joined the Executive Board of ATP with enthusiasm at its inception. Now I congratulate the staff on this 15th anniversary and look forward to planting and reforesting 15 million trees in Armenia by 2015.

Over the years, I have written several times about the work being done in Armenia by ATP. I have written about the organization itself and about some of the people responsible for its successes. Some of the articles originated in Armenia, because I was fortunate to be able to travel there and spend extended periods of time working and visiting in Yerevan and in many villages around the country. I visited not only the tourist attractions, but also devastated areas such as Gyumri after the 1988 earthquake. Vanadzor was also destroyed by the long term cutting of trees that was arguably more destructive than the earthquake. Since I was there in 1992, I was able to see first hand how areas were literally denuded of trees by families trying to keep from freezing to death in that coldest of winters.

It was in 1994 that Carolyn Mugar and her late husband, John O’Connor, both wonderful, generous people as well as committed environmentalists, officially established ATP. The first tree planting project at the Nork Senior Center was done in the spring of 1994.

During the next eight years, thousands of trees were planted in Armenian communities throughout the country, two state-of-the-art nurseries were opened in Karin and Khachpar through the generosity of some caring Armenian-Americans, several forest rejuvenation programs were implemented in Tsitsernakaberd Park and elsewhere, and the first database of donors was created.

By 2001 Jeff Masarjian, the current Executive Director, joined the organization and ATP began to redirect its goals toward more aggressive, all-encompassing reforestation efforts aimed at rehabilitating devastated rural and urban areas and providing Armenian citizens with the resources as well as incentives for redeveloping their immediate environments. A new DVD film documents the impact ATP is having.

The Rural and Mountainous Development Program planted over 1,500,000 mixed forest seedlings on 1,700 acres of deforested lands in northern Armenia. The trees are being grown by 400 families in backyard nurseries in Armenia, many of whom double their annual income by selling trees to ATP. Hundreds of local residents receive seasonal income to plant and tend the trees.

The overall survival rate of community planted trees is above 85 percent. Fruit trees planted over the past 15 years yielded a harvest of over 500,000 pounds of fruit in 2008. Over 2,500,000 trees have been planted and restored, and hundreds of jobs have been created for Armenians in seasonal tree-related programs. ATP can be proud of their poverty reduction efforts.

Now during its 15th anniversary year ATP is providing employment and income through a mature backyard nursery program that has been awarded an Energy Globe Award by the European Parliament.

The United Nations Environment Program has also recognized ATP and includes it in its Billion Tree Campaign. ATP’s goal is to plant and restore one million trees in 2009.

This week ATP sent out a letter and DVD film to a large database of sponsors and potential sponsors that is “an inspiring story about ATP’s work and the impact we are having in Armenia.”

Carolyn Mugar states, “I fully expect that in the next decade we will achieve an historic milestone: 15 million trees planted and restored by 2015, the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Together, we will realize this goal, and the rippling effects of our work will become a vital part of the legacy we leave to future generations.”

We can help that dream become a reality by donating generously to ATP. If you are not already one of ATP’s donors, you can contact them to request the DVD or to donate directly. The press releases of many ATP success stories are available on the website under ATP News. There is a wealth of information at their website: www.armeniatree.org or by phone in the Watertown office (617) 926-TREE (8733).

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