YEREVAN—Armenia Tree Project and the American University of Armenia Acopian Center for the Environment, co-organizers of an upcoming global forestry conference in Yerevan, Armenia, are proud to announce that the event’s keynote speaker will be Dr. Anthony S. Davis, Interim Dean and Professor at the College of Forestry at Oregon State University. The three-day conference will bring leading minds in forestry to Armenia’s capital for discussion, education, and networking.
Dr. Davis will deliver the keynote address at the inaugural Forest Summit: Global Action and Armenia on Tuesday, October 22, and will urge participants to consider the opportunities—in Armenia and around the world—to use science-based practices in advancing forest restoration, conservation, and management for multiple values. His background in working at the local level to develop the finest practices in seedling production, tree planting, and long-term management builds on a global suite of experiences that can inform management and policy decisions in Armenia’s forest sector.
“It’s with great enthusiasm that I prepare to share my learnings and experience with the attendees of the inaugural Forest Summit,” stated Davis, who has been working on forest restoration and tree planting with several organizations in Armenia, including ATP. “It’s an honor to be able to share my passion with so many like-minded professionals, and to do it in a country that has made a commitment to double its forest cover by 2050. This conference comes at a critical time for forest health worldwide. More than ever we are cognizant of the wide-ranging values forests provide—as a sink for carbon, a source of renewable materials, and habitat for critical wildlife including the Caucasian Leopard. I look forward to participating in this dialogue,” he concluded.
Dr. Davis serves as the Chief Executive of the College of Forestry at Oregon State University, which is broadly recognized as one of the world’s leading forestry research, teaching, and extension institutions. Under his leadership, the Corvallis, Oregon-based College of Forestry crafts research projects with various constituencies around the globe to expand forest-driven economies, steward forest resources, and to translate new discoveries into tools and techniques that can be used to advance livelihoods and sustain ecosystems.
With three days of discussion and collaborative dialogue on the conservation and reforestation efforts much needed in Armenia and countries across the world, Forest Summit: Global Action and Armenia will offer field visits to Dilijan National Park and ATP’s reforestation nursery and forest plantings in Margahovit Village, as well as social and networking opportunities.
In addition to hosting the conference in October, Armenia Tree Project will celebrate the planting of its six millionth tree in Armenia this fall. For more information about the conference, AUA Acopian Center for the Environment, or Armenia Tree Project, please visit the website.
The AUA Acopian Center for the Environment, a research center of the American University of Armenia, promotes the protection and restoration of the natural environment through research, education, and community outreach. The AUA Acopian Center’s focus areas include sustainable natural resource management, biodiversity and conservation, greening the built environment, clean energy, and energy efficiency, as well as information technology and the environment. Founded in 1991, the American University of Armenia is a private, independent university located in Yerevan, Armenia, and affiliated with the University of California. AUA provides a global education in Armenia and the region, offering high-quality graduate and undergraduate studies, encouraging civic engagement, and promoting public service and democratic values. For more information, visit the website.
Armenia Tree Project, a non-profit program based in Massachusetts and Yerevan, conducts vitally important environmental projects in Armenia’s cities and villages. Since 1994, ATP has made enormous strides in combating desertification in the biologically diverse but threatened Caucasus region. More than 5,700,000 trees have been planted and restored, and hundreds of jobs have been created for Armenians in seasonal tree-related programs. ATP works to further Armenia’s economic and social development by mobilizing resources to fund reforestation. These vital new trees provide food, wood, environmental benefits, and opportunities for economic growth. ATP has a full time staff of over 80 in Armenia. The Yerevan office manages four state-of-the-art tree nurseries and two environmental education centers, partners with villagers to create tree-based micro-enterprise opportunities, creates urban green belts for public use, restores degraded forest lands, and employs hundreds of part-time workers to plant new forests. For more information, visit the website.