An expert from the U.S. Forest Service concludes a working visit to Armenia today. Together with the Ministry of Emergency Situations and the Ministry of Nature Protection, applied fire ecologist Jennifer Croft supported an assessment of wildfire fighting capabilities that will help the Armenian government further improve its ability to fight wildfires in the future.  During her visit, Ms. Croft met with government officials, NGOs, and other stakeholders to listen, learn, and share best practices in wildfire prevention and management. 

“We’re pleased to continue our partnership with the Armenian government, specifically with the Ministries of Nature Protection and of Emergency Situations, on such an important topic,” said U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Richard Mills, Jr. “Working to ensure the mitigation of damage by future fires requires a cross-governmental approach that incorporates input from a broad network of stakeholders, and the U.S. Forest Service is offering its expertise in supporting Armenia’s efforts toward that goal.”

With extensive experience in fire management, Ms. Croft’s visit follows that of a team of experts from the U.S. Forest Service in September 2017, when the U.S. Forest Service “Burned Area Emergency Response” (BAER) team assisted Armenian experts and officials with watershed health and vegetation recovery efforts following the Khosrov and Artavan fires.