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This year, as always, illegal tree cutting will take place, especially now that the cold season has just started. Such stated “Armenian Forests” social organization president Nazeli Vardanyan while talking with a Panorama.am journalist.

“I think that illegal tree cutting will be less this year, since natural gas has been supplied to our villages,” she expressed. Vardanyan is convinced that illegal tree cutting lessens each year, but that “in any event, what occurs causes damage to the country.” According to the organization’s statistics, last year 400-500 thousand cubic meters of trees were cut, while in 2003 the figure stood at 800 thousand cubic meters.

We note that legal tree removal is 60-70 thousand cubic meters per year. “Armenia Forest” assistant director Ruben Petrosyan, this year 52 cubic meters of forest are set to be cut. This work is already in progress. According to the organization’s statistics, from November of 2006 to June of this year 1,264 trees were illegally removed, which is 1,325.39 cubic meters. “A fine is imposed for illegal cutting, depending on how many are cut,” Petrosyan said. In any event, Vardanyan said she made a suggestion to the ministry of nature protection that no tree be cut for 10 years, but “my suggestion was turned down.” Vardanyan also said she suggests that the importation of wood products increase.