Protected plantation plot ©Shen
Armenia, Dzoraglukh, August 2024
After Armenia gained independence in 1991, the lack of energy resources forced people to (over)consume the abundant wood resources in the region to get through the difficult winters. Today, the villagers of Dzoraglukh are feeling the effects and know restoring the forest that has disappeared is vital. Planting 20,800 trees over three years aims to breathe new life into areas once covered with oak trees.
The first phase of the programme ended in 2021 with 10,400 trees planted over two hectares. A number of different species were planted, including oak, pine, high mountain maple, birch, oriental apple, and Caucasian pear. Yellow acacia and cranberry bushes have also been introduced to encourage forest biodiversity.
During the final planting phase, in the autumn of 2022, 15,600 young trees were planted to meet the target of 20,800 perennial trees.
Monitoring and maintenance work has begun on the newly planted plots ©Shen
2023 began with monitoring and maintenance of the trees planted. The first few years after planting are crucial to their proper development. Hence the technical teams go out into the field to train the beneficiaries in tree maintenance and pruning, and also to monitor the tree survival rate. Replanting in September 2023 served to replace the few trees that had died because of cattle grazing and repeated droughts over the past few summers in Armenia.
Young seedling planted in autumn 2023 ©Shen
Two field visits were organised between May and June 2024. These established the tree survival rate at an estimated 80%. This extremely good result is encouraging and motivates the beneficiaries in the village of Dzoraglukh to take good care of the plantations.
Jean-Louis Janeau, hydro-ecologist and member of the A Tree for You scientific committee, auditing in Armenia ©A Tree for You
This project was audited in October 2023. The A Tree for You teams went out into the field to meet the technical teams of Armenian partner NGO Shen and the beneficiaries from the village of Dzoraglukh. This meeting of all the parties involved was also rich in exchanges. The audit shows the objectives of the project file have been achieved. The annual reports sent by NGO Shen provide an accurateaccount of how the work has progressed and the current state of the plantations.
Thanks to the warm welcome and attentiveness of NGO Shen, and especiallyits president, the audit team were able to carry out their task efficiently and also gained a broad understanding of the Armenian context.
Furthermore, the audit strengthened mutual trust between NGO Shen and A Tree for You, paving the way for long and fruitful cooperation. Indeed, a new project kicked off 2024 in Shenavan, Armenia.
Catch up soon for more news from the field!
