70% OF ARMENIAN FORESTS DECOMPOSED AND OLD
Noyan Tapan
June 05 2006
YEREVAN, JUNE 5, NOYAN TAPAN. 334 thousand ha or 11.2% of Armenia’s
territory is covered by forests, which makes only 0.1 ha per
capita. According to the 2003-2005 Ministerial Report of the RA
Ministry of Nature Protection, about 70% of the country’s natural
forests are decomposed and old. 36% of timber resources are mature
and overmature forests, which are located in areas difficult of
access. According to the report, the inefficient forest management over
the last ten years has brouhgt the forests anf forest ecosystems to
a critical state. Incorrect forest menangement has resulted in aging
and overmaturity of forets in some areas, and to their degradation
and destruction – in others. The energy and economic crises brought
about large-scale deforestation in about 40,000 ha of forests and
green zones. Most of illegal tree cutting has been done by residents
of 230 communities located 5 km from forests – for heating.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress