“Hraparak”: Nearly 10,000 Cubic Meters of Timber Planned to Be Cut in Tavush Forests
Residents of forest-adjacent villages in the Tavush region told “Hraparak” that illegal logging is being carried out in the forests under the guise of legal logging sites. In order to clarify the issue, the newspaper sent an inquiry to Artyom Hayrapetyan, director of “Hayantar” SNCO, to find out how many logging sites are planned in Tavush in 2026 and what volume of timber harvesting is permitted.
Hayrapetyan stated that logging sites are not provided to economic operators: they are operated exclusively by the “Forest Management” branches, while the volumes of logging are determined by forest management plans. According to the data provided, 1 logging site with a volume of 686.64 cubic meters is planned in the Artsvaberd Forestry, 1 logging site with 117.43 cubic meters in the Ijevan Forestry, 14 logging sites with 5,805.27 cubic meters in the Noyemberyan Forestry, and 20 logging sites with 3,321.38 cubic meters in the Sevkar Forestry. In total, there are 36 logging sites and 9,930.72 cubic meters of timber.
“Hraparak” particularly highlights the Sevkar Forestry, where more than 3,300 cubic meters of timber harvesting is planned across 20 logging sites. According to the newspaper, the Sevkar forests have already suffered serious damage from large-scale logging carried out in the past. Local residents claim that other types of logging are also being carried out there under the guise of maintenance and sanitary logging.
The newspaper separately inquired about the activities of Karen Tsovanyan, the head of the Achajur Forestry of the Sevkar Forestry and a member of the Ijevan Community Council elected from the “Civil Contract” party list. According to Hayrapetyan’s response, the logging sites were allocated to Tsovanyan not through contracts, but on the basis of logging permits. Seven logging sites have been allocated to him in the territory of the Achajur Forestry, where a total of 1,326.42 cubic meters of forest material is to be harvested, of which only 9.46 cubic meters constitutes construction timber. “Hayantar” at the same time emphasized that the operation of a logging site falls within the scope of the forester’s work duties.
The issue of firewood is no less acute for the residents of Tavush. According to the current procedure, families in settlements included in the relevant list are entitled to receive up to 8 cubic meters of deadwood firewood free of charge for heating purposes. In 2026, the maximum volume set for this purpose is 4,500 cubic meters for the Artsvaberd Forestry, 2,500 for Ijevan, 5,500 for Noyemberyan, and 4,000 cubic meters for Sevkar. The total volume for the region is 16,500 cubic meters.
The distribution of free firewood began on September 1. However, residents of forest-adjacent villages complain that instead of the planned up to 8 cubic meters, they often receive only 4 cubic meters, and, moreover, they have to collect the wood from deep inside the forest.
The issue does not end there. After collecting the wood, a separate release permit is required to take it out of the forest. According to information from “Hraparak,” such permits have currently run out. Residents have been promised that the new documents will be issued next week. At the same time, the rains that have fallen in Tavush have created additional difficulties: if the precipitation does not continue, it may take about 20 days for the roads inside the forests to dry.
Thus, according to “Hraparak,” amid the officially planned logging of nearly 10,000 cubic meters of timber, residents of Tavush continue to raise alarms about logging carried out under the guise of sanitary and maintenance work, while the provision of free firewood to the forest-adjacent settlements themselves is limited in volume and accompanied by difficulties in taking it out of the forest.