Srinagar: To preserve and conserve the famous Chinar trees of the Kashmir Valley, the authorities in the region are geotagging each and every such tree in the Valley. The authorities believe that many factors like urbanisation, diseases, and developmental projects have led to the loss of hundreds of Chinar trees in recent times, and to prevent this, a Digital Tree Aadhar number has been allotted to every Chinar tree in the Valley.

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Over 29,000 Chinar trees have been geotagged so far, and only a thousand are left. It took the authorities over four years to tag each and every Chinar tree along with its information like status, height, girth, geographical location, etc. This will help in preserving and conserving the Chinar trees in the region.

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“Our purpose was to have an idea about the exact number of Chinar trees in the Kashmir region. We now have data on how many Chinars are there in every district of the valley. We also get an idea on the status of the Chinar trees due to various weather factors and urbanisation. We started this in 2021 and are close to completion. We have around 30 thousand Chinar trees in Kashmir, and have completed tagging of around 29 thousand. We have every detail and data of the Chinars, and we have the metal tagging with a UV printed. Giving an Aadhar number to every tree ensures its safety. By scanning the QR code, you would know everything about the Chinar,” said Dr Syed Tariq, Coordinator Projects, In Charge Bio Diversity Kashmir.

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The Chinar trees in the Kashmir Valley are centuries old. The trees, in general, take over a century to reach their full growth. Some of the Chinar trees in the Valley are over 500 years old. The researchers involved in the project have studied each and every Chinar in the valley. From their exact status to height, around 25 characteristics of the tree have been mentioned in the scanned list.

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“Our aim was to preserve and conserve the Chinars. For this, we needed to know the exact population of the Chinar trees and their status. If they need some sort of intervention from our side. We have visited 30 thousand trees and noted 25 characteristics of each tree. By this process, we got to know how many trees have died, how many are in bad state. We will also keep an eye on how many new Chinars we are being planted every day. On scanning, you can see the number of the tree. The scan tells you the district. You can check its location, tree number, altitude of that area, height and girth of the trees, as well as its status. If dried, what was the cause? We have all the info. If it’s diseased or healthy, we always mention it and what can be done to save it,” said Dr Tariq.

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The authorities say that more research is being done for saving the Chinar tree, which represents the Kashmir Valley. The government has been promoting the planting of more Chinar trees across the region.