Geo-tagging to help conserve Kashmir's 'chinar' trees

Authorities in Indian Kashmir are geo-tagging thousands of 'chinar' trees to create a comprehensive database for their management and help conserve them amid threats from rising urbanization, road-widening projects and diseases.

The trees are a cultural and ecological symbol of the territory, which is claimed in full by India and Pakistan, but hundreds of them have been lost over the last few decades.

Under the process, QR codes are attached to each tree, recording information, including its location, age and growing patterns, enabling conservationists to track changes and address risk factors.

"We have geo-tagged nearly 29,000 trees, but we still have more small-sized trees that haven't been tagged ... These will be tagged in due course," Syed Tariq, head of the project, said.

The chinar trees take around 150 years to reach their full size of up to 30 meters in height with a girth of 10 to 15 meters.

The oldest chinar in the region is around 650 years old.

"We are using a USG-based (ultrasonography-based) gadget capable of determining risk levels without human intervention," Syed said.

REUTERS