Armenia Tree Project’s spring planting season is currently underway, with a goal of 400,000 trees throughout Armenia and Artsakh planted this spring.
A significant percentage of this spring’s plantings are at five forest sites spanning over three provinces: Shirak, Lori and Kotayk.
Stepanavan is one of the five forest sites where we already planted 59,000 trees this April, located in the northern part of Lori Province near the border with Georgia. The varieties of trees included: Pine, Oak, Maple, Ash, Wild Pear and Apple. Since Soviet times, Stepanavan is a resort town, known for its pine forests.
ATP hires local villagers to provide the labor-intensive job of planting tens of thousands of cuttings.
Arevik Aharonyan and Arevluys Danielyan, both from Dzoramut Village and have been next-door neighbors for a long time. Arevluys has been on ATP’s Forestry planting team for the past four years and recounts that she enjoys being around friends and relatives as they plant trees together. She recounts that she enjoys working with the soil and loves the thought of being useful for future generations.
“If everyone leaves the village and moves to the cities, then who is going to protect our borders and lands?” asked Arevik. “I think an educated person can create a prosperous life in the village.”
“For me, it’s a refreshing change to work outside of home, as I’ve been a housewife for all my life. I enjoy working with my friends and neighbors and love the idea of earning money,” added Arevik.
Artak Pnjoyan is one of the youngest at the Stepanavan forestry site. He is 31 and the third year that he joins the team. In addition to seasonal work with ATP, he is engaged in construction and trade. On an average day, he plants 250 to 300 trees and earns no less than 10,000 AMD.
“I usually come to the planting site an hour earlier and leave about 30 minutes later than everyone else, that’s my secret,” said Artak. “First of all what we do is important for us locals. Neither Yerevantsis nor our compatriots from other regions will benefit from the forests we establish today as much as we locals will. We want to be sure that we have done at least something useful for our country, even if it’s a minor thing,” he recounted.
Karine Antonyan is from Dzoramut Village before joining the forestry project has taken various jobs working as telecommunications operator, pastry chef, and an employer at a coffee production factory and lived in Yerevan for a long time.
“I am used to working outside of home and interact with people,” noted Karine. “Living in a village you don’t get much of that, that is why I love this job. Also, both my husband and I don’t have a permanent job, so this is a good opportunity for us to earn some money, especially now that my son is a student and commutes to Stepanavan we need money to maintain his needs.”
Help ATP tackle socio-economic and environmental issues in rural Armenia today by donating to their Spring Fundraiser! Please donate directly to their website, and note ‘Spring Planting’ in the comment box.
Help them meet their goal of $30,000 – a generous donor has offered to match every dollar up to $15k, effectively doubling your donation.
Armenia Tree Project, established in 1994, is a non-profit organization that revitalizes Armenia’s and Artsakh’s most vulnerable communities through tree-planting initiatives, and provides socio-economic support and growth. It is based in Yerevan, Armenia and has an office in Woburn, Massachusetts. For more information, please visit ATP’s website.