J&K govt starts digital Aadhar and geo-tagging for iconic Chinar trees to preserve heritage

The tree is a major tourist attraction in the valley during the autumn season. (Image PTI)

In a bod to preserve the heritage of Chinar trees, the Jammu and Kashmir government has began the process of geo-tagging them on Thursday, reported ANI.

"Chinars are oxygen producers. Chinar has its own scope, it plays a major role. Keeping this in view, we thought of keeping a track on the stock of Chinar in the Valley. With the advancement of technologies, we provided 'Digital Aadhaar' to these trees. Now, every Chinar has its own 'Aadhar' number," ANI quoted Dr Syed Tariq, Scientist at Forest Research Institute, as saying.

"We have linked it to Digital India. We have installed QR codes that can be scanned. Every district has its own district code with the number of Chinars. So far, we have identified and geo-tagged 28,560 Chinar."

Chinar, also known as Oriental plane tree, is a maple-like tree with a huge canopy and is found in cool climate regions with sufficient water. He further said that forest areas have come to the rescue of Chinar.

"We have collected their readings, physical characteristics and locked them with QR scan. You can scan the QR code and know everything about them. We have also appealed for 'Save Chinar'. This is a very positive step because we will make a data bank of all the Chinars and we will hopefully bring this into the public domain very soon. We expect to be having 30,000-35,000 Chinars in J & K. We are also planting new saplings. We are installing metal plating on 10,000 Chinars as of now," he told ANI.

The J&K Forest Research Institute’s (JKFRI) ‘Digital Tree Aadhar’ initiative provides a unique number for each tree.

The JKRFI began a chinar census in the Union Territory in 2021. The Hindu citing data sources said that Kashmir was home to around 40,000 chinar trees but the numbers are falling steadily. The widening of highways has also taken a toll on many chinar trees.

“The aim of the JKFRI is to establish a detailed database of chinar trees using the Geographic Information System (GIS)-based, quick response (QR) code-enabled surveys,” Tariq said.

Mohd. Yaseen Reshi, contractor of the Chinar geo-tagging project said that he received good technical support from the division.

He said, "This is a very positive project. This Chinar geo-tagging project is being undertaken for the first time in Kashmir. I am delighted to have been a part of this project. I am so thankful to Forest Division which supported me. We will complete this at the earliest. This is a good initiative."