One of the main environmental problems in Armenia is degradation of forests and deforestation due to the high demand for firewood for community household use, namely heating and cooking. Firewood is used by forest adjacent communities as well as in the regions, where there are no much forests and the wood is transported from respective forested regions. Excess extraction of wood from forests results to degradation of forest ecosystems with reduction of ecosystem services provided by forests including soil-protection and water-protection functions.
Meanwhile, in rural communities the majority of households use traditional low energy-efficient heating systems (stoves), which implies use of additional quantities of firewood. Application of more effective heating systems will decrease the demand of the firewood, leading to decrease of pressure on the forests.
The proposed project is to test and pilot innovative firewood conservation technologies and techniques ? such as different types of heat exchangers and Energy Effective Stoves in selected communities of Lori and Aragatsotn regions, where the firewood is one of the main heating materials used by the households. The project will assess the suitability of tested technologies in terms of their efficiency, including cost- effectiveness as well as the willingness of rural households to use such technologies. Based on the outcomes, the project can lay the ground for wider use of energy efficient technologies in rural households, which can reduce the use of firewood and forest degradation.