ATP PLANTS MORE THAN 230,000 TREES IN 11 REGIONS OF ARMENIA THIS SPRING
hetq
11:28, May 30, 2012
Armenia Tree Project (ATP) has recently completed its spring programs
after planting a total of 233,466 trees throughout the country. The
total includes 140,366 seedlings planted in the town ofSaratovkain
northernArmenia, 51,100 seedlings that were provided to communities
to establish new forested areas, and 42,000 fruit and decorative
trees planted at 118 sites in 11 regions.
ATP continues to cooperate with new programs established inArmenia. In
April, ATP provided seedlings and professional expertise in planting
trees and shrubs in the yard of the newAybHigh SchoolinYerevan’s
Kanaker-Zeytun district. Teachers, students, friends, and parents
joined ATP to plant 905 trees and shrubs on the school grounds.
“TheAybHigh Schoolcombines the best of Armenian schooling traditions
and contemporary learning technologies. The school has built a
new culture of learning to raise the competitiveness of Armenian
education. This ambitious initiative is deeply valued by ATP, as
it shares our mission of educating younger generations,” explains
Community Tree Planting program manager Arthur Harutyunyan, who led
the tree planting at the school.
One of ATP’s other exciting projects was joining the Barekamavan
Development Project on the Tavush border. “BarekamavanVillageis on the
Azeri border and is extremely poor. From 200 families, only half still
live in the village, so it was a priority for us to start working in
this village,” notes Harutyunyan.
With the help of the Armenian communities inIrelandandDubaiand the
support of organizations such as AGBU and Macademias, three greenhouses
were built for families in Barekamavan. “With the income they get from
the crops, they will be more encouraged to stay in the village, raise
their children here, and ensure a strong presence in this strategic
border community,” adds Harutyunyan.
ATP provided 206 pear, apple, almond, and cherry trees to families in
Barekamavan, and 30 evergreens were planted around the local church
yard. “ATP has made it a priority to provide the majority of its fruit
trees to people in the poorest and most disadvantaged communities,”
Harutyunyan emphasizes. ATP also provided fruit and nut trees to needy
communities in Ghursali, Nerkin Khndzoresk, Lernamerdz, and Teghenik.
ATP’s SEEDS team established new forest areas in the northern community
of Saratovka, located several miles from Stepanavan. ATP launched
an exciting program in 2011 known as SEEDS, or “Social, Economic,
and Environmental Development for Sustainability.”
“There were no trees or forested areas near Saratovka. Therefore,
we hope the people here will make use of the fruit trees and enjoy
the greenery in their community,” notes SEEDS program manager Vardan
Melikyan. The new forest was established with oak, pine, ash, apple,
and pear trees. It is located near a lake which will create beautiful
scenery and serve as a shelter for various water birds.
The planting in Saratovka was implemented by seasonal workers hired by
ATP from Vanadzor and neighboring villages, many of whom were Armenian
refugees fromAzerbaijan. Within the framework of ATP’s community
forests program, 41,100 tree seedlings were provided for planting in
Teghenik, Karenis, and Tsakhkunq, and another 10,000 seedlings were
provided to the city ofChambarakin the Gegharkunik region.
ATP’s mission is to assist the Armenian people in using trees
to improve their standard of living and protect the environment,
guided by the desire to promote self-sufficiency, aid those with the
fewest resources first, and conserve the indigenous ecosystem. ATP’s
three major programs are tree planting, environmental education,
and sustainable development initiatives. For more information, please
visit the web site
www.armeniatree.org.