We are happy to announce that we started Fall Planting 2022 on October 13. This is our fifth planting season. During the last four seasons, we planted 567.553 trees or 165 hectares of forests in Shirakamut, Jrashen, Vahakni, and Dilijan National Park. Having reached our medium-term goal of planting 400.000 trees a year in 2021/2022, we decided to increase this number, hopefully reaching 800.000 trees yearly in three years.

Plans for Fall Planting 2022

This year, we have in our two nurseries in Debet and Gugark a large number of trees that are ready to be planted. We have 300.000 deciduous trees, plus 200.000 three-year-old pine trees that we need to plant. In addition, we have another 400.000 two-year-old pine trees, and it would be great if we could plant half of them this year. That means we will try to plant up to 400.000 this fall and hopefully up to 300,000 in spring 2023.

This year is also prominent because we are planting our first seedlings from our greenhouse. The seedlings are grown in containers, which offer the opportunity to have healthy seedlings in a short time, should have a higher survival rate.

We will plant in a new afforestation area: Jrashen II. It covers 110 ha, and the altitude ranges from 2150 to 2400 m.  This area faces Jrashen I and has the significant advantage of having mostly northern exposure. That means good quality land and high moisture.

These are our plans for Fall Planting 2022. We will plant non-stop until snow arrives. Let’s hope the weather will allow us to plant as many days as possible.

Social impact

On reaching our goals, we also care about our social impact. The higher the number of trees, the bigger the number of people we can give jobs to. This year we already have 220 workers signed up (a new record) and are seeking to add another 20 workers. Our regional managers are touring the surrounding villages to offer job opportunities. This is a well-appreciated opportunity for the communities to improve socially and economically.

Everyone can enroll

One thing is for sure, if we plant our stated minimum goal, we will surpass last years’ numbers. However, all this becomes possible with the monetary support of our individual, corporate and non-profit donors. We are glad to state that the number of people trusting us and contributing to our mission increases yearly. The more people are enrolled, the more people we can offer a job and the larger areas of forests we will have. By becoming a monthly donor, you can be a part of Fall Planting 2022 and all the upcoming planting seasons.