Minister of Environment Visits Hrazdan Forestry Branch of Hayantar

The Minister of Environment Romanos Petrosyan has made a working visit to the Hrazdan Forestry Branch of Hayantar. The minister wrote on his Facebook page, "Here, I also held a working discussion with the heads of subdivisions and staff, addressing existing issues and the need to accurately inventory them and raise them through appropriate channels.

I presented the draft legislative changes proposed in the Forest Code and at the Forest Committee and Hayantar SNCO. We must do everything possible to regulate our joint work in the shortest terms and to establish an institutional framework.

The results of our adopted reforms and future successes must be visible and tangible for everyone—both for the staff and for every member of society. In this context, I emphasize the necessity of reviewing salaries, technical re-equipment, professional training, and introducing successful international practices, for which the ministry is in negotiations with international partners.

We must have a better, safer, and more prosperous social and working environment for our employees as soon as possible. We should exclude the shadowy and contemptible practices that previously existed in our state administration system, particularly in the forest management system.

I specifically highlighted the issues of reviewing land lease fees, inventorying existing contracts, and returning debts owed to the state by operators. I instructed the management staff to hold meetings with the lessees of unused land plots to lease them under new conditions and to attract investments.

I toured the greenhouse nursery area. The Hrazdan Forestry Branch has 17 hectares of nursery area (currently using 3.3 hectares). Here, high-quality forest plant materials of coniferous species, such as pine, oak, apple, and wheat, are grown using modern methods with a closed root system. These materials are later transferred to forest areas for forest restoration and to enhance the efficiency of reforestation efforts.

This year, about 219,000 seedlings have been released, the majority of which have a closed root system. The cultivation of seedlings with a closed root system is the most effective method, ensuring 99% adherence.

I concluded my visit by inspecting one of the logging sites in the Meghradzor area of Hayantar. From here, Hayantar legally provides firewood to the local population.