First Planting in Shirakamut
November 3rd, 2020 is a big milestone day for My Forest Armenia. After a year and a half of non-stop work and preparation since the creation of our organisation, we have started planting our first seedlings from our nurseries. 25 workers from the local village of Shirakamut came every day to the field to sow acorns collected in Lori province and plant the seedlings which came directly from our nursery in Debet. All told we planted 20.000 seedlings and sowed 51.000 acorns on 20 ha.
Buying seeds, sorting and sowing for 2021
Fall was a busy period at My Forest Armenia, not only were we preparing to plant in the afforestation fields, we also prepared the next season by sowing seeds in our nurseries. At the Benjamin Gumuchdjian nursery, we sowed more seeds and more different species than last year.
The acorns are bought from local villagers living near forests and it gives them an extra income.
Next, we check the quality and eliminate those that are damaged. As you see, I am also doing my share by counting a few samples to determine the average amount of seeds per kilograms.
All in all we bought about 900 kilos of acorns of Caucasian oak (quercus macranthera). At an average density of 200 acorns per kilo, it represents 180,000 acorns. However, the germination success rate is between 35 to 45%. That is why we put three acorns per hole. We sowed in the afforestation fields about 153,000 acorns, that represents 51,000 holes. Thus at least one acorn will germinate in each hole. The rest was sown in both of our nurseries.
Construction of the warehouse
In the meantime, we continued the second phase of the construction of our warehouse. A company in Vanadzor has assembled the structure of the roof. Our workers have put the sidewalls. We are now in the process of making the front doors. Soon, we will be able to stock our material out of the harsh winter weather.
We also built a retaining wall behind the worker’s house to avoid landslides. Our workers had brought stones from a nearby quarry. As they were so nice, we decided to make a stone wall rather than concrete.
It also saves on cement and thus on the environment and costs. I am particularly happy with the result! Some are suggesting to turn the worker’s house into a bed & breakfast! It is true that the site and the view is exceptional.
Fencing in Dilijan National Park
We have also started the fencing of our reforestation site in the Dilijan National Park. As it is a national park we have decided to use wooden poles for fencing. An early bout of snow fell on the area but we were able to finish the work on time. We have put about 650 poles for a 2.500 meters long fence.
Monthly donation is now possible!
Our IT development team has changed our DONATE page to enable monthly payments. The cost of offsetting one’s own carbon footprint can seem a bit much to pay in one time, it makes more sense to pay monthly, especially because we emit carbon emissions all year long. For the average person planting 120 to 240 trees per year will offset their yearly CO₂ emissions, per month that’s 10 to 20 trees or $25 to $50.
But as you know now, planting trees and creating forests is so much more than just CO₂ capture, forests are essential for human life on the planet. Restoring forests is about restoring a fundamental balance between humans and nature.
This holiday season, make a gift that will last for centuries, make a regular present to the planet by planting trees. It is now easy and convenient. If we are going to succeed, everyone has to participate and that includes you and your family. Thank you for starting your monthly donations now