Photos: The Decision on the Necessity of Tree Cutting Adopted by the Mayor of Yerevan - Kristina Vardanyan

“Dear Yerevan residents, I promised that as soon as I received the tree replacement program, I would make it public. In fact, the organization confirmed that four individuals made the decision and authorized the head of the department to implement the tree replacement program in Yerevan without an environmental impact assessment. I must emphasize that any change in the environment must have a specified expert conclusion; otherwise, it is unclear whether the risks to the population and biodiversity are manageable.

The head of the department does not have such powers, and this is a separate issue requiring examination. I would like to note that the decision regarding the necessity of tree cutting tickets has been adopted by the Mayor of Yerevan. And was the program for cutting down 2500 trees approved by the head of the department? It is unacceptable, unlawful, and rather strange to witness the profound silence of the regulatory body while thousands of trees are being cut down in Yerevan, which is on the brink of desertification, and leaving the population under unmanaged environmental risks for decades until the saplings grow leaves.

Additionally, there is no professional conclusion, let alone scientific, within this writing. Science consists of numbers, not merely stating that we have removed leafy trees and planted ornamental varieties based on the width of the sidewalk. The tree in the city is part of the ecological service – the unit mass should ideally absorb pollutants based on its type, lower temperature, reduce UV radiation intensity, and prevent the formation of heat islands, while alleviating building facades and hardened surfaces. All the mentioned risks are no longer manageable; ornamental varieties and low-stemmed trees with grafts have deprived these streets of the opportunity to have tall and broad-canopied trees. I would also like to add that no discussions about tree species were held in any of the streets during the conference. There is a page for the organization,” wrote council member Kristina Vardanyan on her Facebook page.