Area: 20 haElevation: 1650 mExposition: W, NW, N, NE, ESpecies: caucasian oak, pines, wild pears, maples &amp; shrubs.Status: Completed Together with DNP, located in the Tavush province, we have selected a reforestation site inside the Park which covers an area of 20 ha… With elevation ranging from 1600 – 1750 m this area truly belongs to mesophyll forest ecosystem, predominantly made up of Quercus macranthera, Carpinus orientalis, with sparse spots of Fagus orientalis and shrubs with a high domination of Crategus and rose shrubs.During the economic crisis of the early 90s, high anthropogenic pressure turned many areas of this high canopy covered forest into a sparse forest.Even with good undergrowth, small trees can not grow in height, because of grazing in this area. People were still using the national park as pastures which directly influenced the health of the forest.Reforestation activities for this site includes fencing of the area, endemic seed sowing and tree planting. Seeds and trees will represent key species of the national park’s biodiversity.

Dilijan National Park

Area: 86 haPlanted: 30 haElevation: 1750-1900 mExposition: N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, WSpecies: caucasian oak, pines, wild pears, maples &amp; shrubsStatus: Ongoing It is in Shirakamut afforestation area that we planted our first trees on November 03, 2020. 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. But before that, it took us 900 wooden poles and 1000 concrete poles to fence all the area we would reforest. This was essential to prevent animals from grazing. After the severe drought in the summer of 2021, with temperatures climbing up to 27° at 2000 m altitude, we installed two powerful pumps and about 3.000 meters of tubing plus 8 hoses of 50 meters to organize the watering of the seedlings from the nearby canal. Moreover, we replaced all dead seedlings with pine trees already in April, 2022. Pine trees have a double advantage: they are more resistant to dryness and grow quickly, thereby creating some shade for deciduous trees.

SHIRAKAMUT

Area: 110 HA Elevation: 1860 &ndash; 2290 m Exposition: SE, S, SW, W, NW, N Species: caucasian oak, pines, wild pears, maples &amp; shrubs Status: Completed We started planting in Jrashen in Spring 2021. One needs to be on the ground here and walking on the steep hills to appreciate the sheer size of what a 110 hectares plot looks like&#8230; It is simply huge! We put 1.000 poles on a distance of 4.000 m, going sometimes through difficult terrain with gorges and steep hills. This work is essential as this area is widely used by cow and sheep herders. In Jrashen 1 we mostly planted pines, oaks, wild pears, maples, and of course several species of shrubs.Up to 140 people have worked here during planting and maintenance seasons.

JRASHEN 1

Area: 110 HA Elevation: 2150 &ndash; 2400 m Exposition: W, NW, N Species: caucasian oak, pines, wild pears, maples &amp; shrubs Status: starting fall 2022 Jrashen 2 is an area of &#8203;&#8203;110 hectares. It is facing Jrashen 1 and has a big advantage of having mostly northern exposure&#8230; That means good quality land and high moisture. One drawback though is that many areas are quite steep. It will be a challenge both for fencing and for planting. We will start planting there in the fall of 2022.

JRASHEN 2

Area: 360 HAElevation: 1700 – 2000 mExposition: NSpecies: oak, wild apple, maple, pines, and shrubStatus: started spring 2023 During Spring Planting 2023, we covered 116 ha of a new afforestation area in Urasar, Lori province… At 360 hectares, this land is more than three times larger than our preceding land plots. Furthermore, this is an ideal land compared to our first two afforestation areas. The altitude ranges from 1700 to 2000m, mostly with northern exposure, and the soil quality is excellent. This allows us to plant many different broad-leaf species and shrubs.