This spring did not come easy, in many parts of Armenia, winter refused to surrender. The snow lingered in the highlands, and the cold stretched deep into April, delaying the start of the tree planting season. Yet if there is one thing certain about nature, it will always operate on its own timing. One must move with the moment as it comes.

By mid-April, Armenia Tree Project’s (ATP) 2025 spring planting season kicked off in Lori Province, beginning in the Urasar, Bovadzor and Tsaghkaber villages. These areas are beautiful, yet unpredictable and tough to work in. The terrain is steep, and the weather changes abruptly. In minutes, the sky can go from glowing sun to beating hail. Yet still, the teams showed up to the challenge as they always do.

Most of the planting crew is made up of local residents, with over 200 seasonal workers from nearby communities. Many of them have been with ATP for years. Their support is crucial, they know the land, the weather, and the proper care to provide for each tree.

“Every single tree is important to us, and we approach this work with the same care as we would our own gardens and land,” Areg Karapetyan shared. “This has become part of our livelihoods. I’ve been doing this for four years now, and we take it seriously. If a tree doesn’t survive, we replant. We want to see the forest grow.”



And grow it has. During the 2025 spring planting season, ATP has planted in total over 708,000 trees across Armenia through our Forestry and Community Tree Planting Programs. Out of this total, 673,240 have been planted within the Forestry Division.

This spring season our work has expanded across Lori and continued in Shirak, Kotayk, and Gegharkunik provinces. In Lernanist, Kotayk Province, planting days were very special, with partner organizations joining alongside our teams in the field. April became a full-on community effort.

ATP was proud to welcome teams from Synopsys Armenia, ClinChoice, Miro, Toyota Yerevan, Birthright Armenia, and Team Telecom Armenia. They got their hands dirty, learned about the work, and brought real passion to the planting sites more. This was more than just a business collaboration; it was a partnership amongst humans and the land. People even brought their family members, demonstrating the growing consciousness surrounding environmental preservation and community involvement.

One of the season’s most meaningful moments occurred at Zvartnots Cathedral, where we planted trees in collaboration with the Office of the High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs. Planting trees in a place with such significant Armenian history symbolized a powerful connection from past to future.

Outside the forests, the Community Tree Planting Program was in full swing. Throughout this spring, ATP planted about 34,728 trees in 175 public spaces across several regions of Armenia, at schools, parks, churchyards, roadsides, and city streets.

In Arpunk and Avazan villages in Gegharkunik, more than 3,000 fruit trees and shrubs were distributed to 161 households. These trees do more than feed families, they build resilience, dignity, and long-term self-reliance in rural areas that otherwise would not have this level of stability. The organization often asserts that tree planting is about the future, but it is also deeply rooted in the present, in the people doing the labor today.

“Even at my age, I need to keep working,” said Sedrak Nikoghosyan, a seasonal worker from Mets Sarian. “If I stop, I’ll rust. I feel useful… to my village, to my country, and to the next generations who’ll walk in the shade of these trees.”

Armenia Tree Project is proud of all that has been accomplished this season so far. Yet the work continues; there are always more trees to plant, more communities to reach, more hands to join. The organization is extremely grateful for everyone who has been a source of support, in the field, behind the scenes, or even simply by caring about this work. It truly takes a village.