Yerevan's Oldest Trees Will Have Passports, City Hall Says

The green areas of Yerevan are part of the city’s history. Few know that hidden in the streets and parks of the city are more than a century-old green guardians of Yerevan. There has been no data on how many trees are in the city, their ages, or their conditions until now. But specialists have already begun their work.

“Yerevan's old trees have a history of 100 years or more. They are culturally valuable for the city, and this is quite accepted around the world. Until now, Yerevan has not had such a register, and we want to create it,” said Kristina Vardanian, deputy director of the Greenery and Environmental Protection Municipal Non-Commercial Organization.

Work began last year in the Central District, where the green fund is rich, but the challenges are also many. The inventory in the center will be completed in the coming days. Simultaneously, work is ongoing in the city's forested areas.

“We are using modern tools such as electronic tachometers, satellite receivers, and laser rangefinders. We will obtain a dynamic map and know what trees are where,” said Suren Hovakimyan, head of the mapping team at the Greenery and Environmental Protection Municipal Non-Commercial Organization.

After the inventory of green areas, each tree will have its own individual card, and the oldest will have passports as well. The first passports are already ready for the Eastern pines growing near the medical university, which are listed in the Red Book.

“When we started this analytical work, it became clear to us that there are 95 trees in the center that are 100 years or older, 50-60 percent of which are pines. We decided that all these trees should have a passport, even in paper format, indicating age, trunk diameter, crown size, and so on. Each tree's card will note what vaccinations have been done, in other words, its entire life story, up to the point when the issue of felling that tree arises. The green fund's registry will allow our Yerevan residents, if interested, to obtain complete information about these trees,” emphasizes Kristina Vardanian.

The next phase will also include instrumental research to more accurately determine the age of the trees.

The inventory of the trees is a large-scale task. According to specialists, it will take about 4-5 years to complete it fully. This is an important project aimed at preserving and expanding the city’s green areas. For this reason, botanists are also working simultaneously to determine what care each tree needs and which trees will need to be replaced.