Kashmir’s iconic Chinars geo-tagged

As the number of Chinar trees, a symbol of Kashmir's natural heritage, dwindles in the region, the government has embarked on a mission to preserve them by giving each tree a unique identity. Under this initiative, the government has begun geo-tagging 10,000 Chinar trees, effectively placing them on a digital map.

This initiative aims to safeguard Chinar trees from threats such as urbanisation, deforestation, and habitat degradation.

According to officials, the project was launched following a survey of the majestic Chinar trees, which revealed that the Valley boasts over 28,000 of them. "A QR-based digital plate is affixed to each surveyed Chinar tree using a specialised spring-enabled metal. Each tree is assigned a unique ID, akin to Aadhaar, specifying the year of the survey, the district of its location, and a serial number for easy identification. The current target is 10,000 Chinar trees, and we have already completed 50% of the work," said Syed Tariq, project coordinator at the J&K Forest Research Institute.

According to Tariq, QR codes attached to each tree provide detailed information about the tree's location, health, age, major branches, and other relevant details.

He stated that this initiative followed years of extensive surveying, which found that there are approximately 29,560 Chinar trees in the Valley. However, Tariq mentioned that the actual number is likely between 30,000 and 35,000, as those located within security force installations were not included in the survey. The survey also revealed that the highest concentration of Chinars was found in Ganderbal, followed by Srinagar and Anantnag.

"We are preserving this data in heritage registers for each district. Each district will maintain its own heritage register to ensure the availability of reliable data and facilitate the addition of new entries as new trees are planted," said Tariq, adding that a Chinar atlas of Kashmir will be created upon the completion of this exercise.

According to Tariq, the department is actively working on planting more trees in the Valley. "We have already planted over 1,000 Chinar trees on the outskirts of Srinagar, and our efforts are ongoing to increase the tree count," he said.

Officials state that a Chinar tree, renowned for its antiquity, magnificence, cool shade, and regal presence, takes approximately 30 to 50 years to reach its mature height and about 150 years to attain its full size. One of the Chinar trees discovered during the survey had a remarkable girth of 74 feet in Ganderbal district, located in Central Kashmir.

They emphasised that this digital initiative will provide an accurate count of Chinar trees in each district, ultimately aiding in the conservation and preservation of this magnificent species.