Preserving Heritage: Kashmir’s iconic Chinar trees get geo-tagged with unique Aadhar-like codes

Kashmir: The Jammu and Kashmir government has launched an ambitious programme for conservation of the majestic Chinar trees which facing threats due to rapid urbanisation.

Under the “Digital Tree Aadhaar” initiative will see creation the Union Territory administrations intends to create comprehensive database of the iconic trees by geo-tags using QR codes to record each tree’s geographical location, health, and growing patterns.

This initiative will also enable conservationists to track changes and address risk factors faced by chinars – a cultural and ecological symbol of the Kashmir Valley.

The campaign, through J-K Forest Research Institute (FRI) of J-K Forest Department, involves use of modern technology, including Geographical Information System (GIS), to create a comprehensive database for conservation of the chinar trees, news agency PTI reported adding that the initiative aims to safeguard chinar trees from threats such as urbanisation and deforestation.

About 150 years to grow to full size

Usually 30 metre high, a chinar trees are known for longevity and spreading crown. It takes around 30 to 50 years for a tree to attain the mature height and around 150 years to grow to its full size.

The chinar tree population in Kashmir has declined over the years. Some estimates said Kashmir Valley had 42,000 chinars in the 1970s. The present number ranges from 17,000 to 34,000.

Apart from changing climatic conditions such as rising temperatures, irregular rainfall and prolonged droughts, the environmentalists attribute the fall in chinar numbers of Kashmir over the years to manmade factors such as widening of national highways, growth in urban areas and illegal felling.

In the FRI project, the QR-based digital plate is affixed to each surveyed chinar tree using a specialised spring-enabled metal. Each tree is given a unique id like Aadhaar specifying the year the tree is surveyed, the district it is located and a serial number for easy identification.

“Chinar is a part of our culture. We are doing a survey to know the total number of chinars, their status, their height, girth, etc. So, we have taken this initiative of tree geo-tagging,” Project Coordinator, FRI, Syed Tariq, told news agency PTI.

Tariq said so far, around 28,500 chinar trees have been identified, surveyed and their data updated, and the process is going on. The long-term plan is to create a chinar atlas of Kashmir. “That will give us an idea how many chinar trees are there in each district, with their status,” he said

While chinar trees date back around 2,000 years in the Valley, a separate research is going on to determine the age of the chinar trees in Kashmir.

“While the oldest chinar tree in Kashmir can be known from that survey, in terms of girth, we have recorded the biggest chinar tree in Ganderbal district (in central Kashmir) whose girth is 74 feet. That is the world’s third largest chinar tree in terms of girth,” he said.

Once the project is complete, a person can get required information about the tree including its location with coordinates, physical characters, health status, height, girth, tree shape, number of main branches, whether the tree is a seed bearer or not, and whether the tree is diseased or not, the officials said.

So far, the project has found that the highest number of chinar trees in the valley are found in Srinagar, followed by Ganderbal, Anantnag and Baramulla districts. In the top 20 series of chinars in the World Monumental Trees, 11 are in from Kashmir. “This is an international recognition,” he added.