Tsoline Mikaelyan

Experts call the illegal deforestation that took place in August in Gyulagarak's pine forest "stealing from an open warehouse."

A 2004 decision by the Ministry of Agriculture in 2004 prohibits any kind of deforestation in Lori, even cutting down trees for sanitary purposes. But according to the Lore Eco-club, an NGO in Stepanavan working for nature conservation, the pine forest in the Stepanavan region there is now being wiped out with greater speed and under a new sponsor. A member of the environmental organization saw logging take place in a pine forest in the Dendropark botanical garden, at a distance of about 10 meters fro where they stood. Hearing saws at work in the pine forest, the volunteer went in for a closer look and even managed to take a few photographs. Seeing him and thinking that he represented the ministry, the alarmed culprits immediately offered to bribe him into silence.

"I don't know who they are. We have pictures. But one thing is clear, there is someone big backing them. If there were no backer, nobody would be able to take even one tree from there. And this isn't one tree, these are dozens of trees that were centuries old. Illegal deforestation is going on in massive proportions," said Manya Melikjanyan, president of the Lore Eco-club.

Hrach Chibukhjyan, director of the Stepanavan Forestry Department, expressed outrage at the news, "Today our people's social conditions are not very good, and naturally, there are many reasons that could lead to the sporadic cutting of trees; but in this case, the deforestation is so close to preserved areas, and the quality of the wood being cut leads me to think that some people were clearly given some kind of illegal order to do this. They seem to think that someone has their backs, that they won't have any problems and can get rich at the expense of our forest and nature."

Finding sawed-up trees in the forest, the president of Lore contacted the authorities, hoping that fresh leads would help capture not just the immediate culprits, but also the men running the show. The loggers were not captured on the spot; they had sensed danger and fled the scene, leaving their work half-done. Criminal charges were filed and an investigation was launched. A round table discussion was also organized by Armforest. Experts from the agency and others are now assessing the extent of the damage.

After discussions, the investigators and Forestry Department officials came to the conclusion that the mass illegal deforestation was being done for construction material. This is a get-rich-quick scheme for people whose position or stature allow for such disregard of the law, as well as for people in this business or their backers. The local population is often used as cheap labor. Last year, the Stepanavan Forestry Department reshuffled its personnel in the Gyulagarak region, relieving some foresters of their duties. The same could happen again now.

"I think that some people will lose their jobs, and others will even face trial. None of the guilty will be spared, and if I am found to be one of them, then neither will I," said Hrach Chibukhjyan.

The investigation did not last long. It turned out that the culprits were none other than the foresters themselves. Misak Aroyan, the Stepanavan regional prosecutor, announced that Amas Dokholyan, the supervisor of the pine forest, and Martun Vardanyan, a forester, had been arrested in connection with the case. According to their preliminary statements, the trees were cut down under their direct supervision. They were acting under the orders of the village head of Gyulagarak, Alexander Grigoryan, who owns a saw mill in the village. Alexander Grigoryan has been on the run since August 17, and is wanted by law enforcement officers.