The iconic chinars of Kashmir, known for their size, colour and allure, are getting digital protection against disease, reckless urbanisation and illegal felling.
To preserve these natural pillars of the Valley, the Jammu and Kashmir Forest Research Institute (JKFRI) and the forest department have geotagged over 28,000 chinar trees across the region, creating a comprehensive database for their conservation.
Under the geo-tagging process, officials are attaching each surveyed chinar with a QR code, recording information on 25 characteristics, including its geographical location, age, health and other patterns. It enables conservationists to track changes and address risk factors of these colossal natural shades.
Syed Tariq, the coordinator of the chinar census, said the project, launched in 2021, had covered 80 to 90 per cent of the area in Kashmir where the tree grows, involving tagging of 28,500 chinars.
Based on current data, he estimates there are 32,000 to 35,000 chinar trees in Kashmir. The census will be completed by March 2025.
"We have prepared a data bank of every tree. We take 25 physical characteristics, add them to our data bank and convert them into quick response codes. Once we scan it, it gives us complete data of the particular tree," Tariq told The Telegraph.
"It helps us track changes. Also, suppose a tree needs pruning. What happens during manual intervention is that they would cut it and reduce it to even 10 feet. That will not happen now. Every tree will have its own identity.”
The authorities are using a USG-based (ultrasonography) gadget which determines risk levels without human intervention, sitting in their offices.
The officials said they had made several discoveries during the survey, including identifying a chinar in Ganderbal which is reportedly the largest in Asia. It has a girth of 22.25m and a height of 27m.
Another chinar in Baramulla has been recognised as the third-largest in the world, they said. Reuters reported that the oldest chinar in the region lies on the Srinagar outskirts and is around 650 years old.
The chinar trees take around 150 years to reach their full size of up to 30m in height and a girth of 10 to 15m at ground level.
Reckless felling and diseases have been a bane for chinars, dwindling the estimated numbers from a high of 40,000 some decades ago.
"The number was certainly more in the past but the earlier data was not credible. Today we have district-wise data. The data earlier was arbitrary, an assumption with no scientific base," the officer said.
"The number may have fallen but more chinars are coming up. We have even raised 1,000 chinars only at one place in Dugpora on the outskirts of Srinagar. They are growing nicely. They are aged three and already five feet tall," he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Kashmir last week to inaugurate a tunnel and, during the event, said that numerous road and rail connectivity projects in the region would be completed in the coming days.
