The Jammu & Kashmir government has launched the “Tree Aadhaar” mission for the conservation of the region’s chinar trees which have been dwindling in numbers over the years.
- About Tree Aadhaar Mission:
- Conducting a census of chinar trees to assign each a unique identity.
- Addressing dwindling numbers due to infrastructure expansion and habitat loss.
- To increase the tree’s population.
- About China Tree
- Native to the Mediterranean but spread to the Eastern Himalayas.
- Linked to Greek origins and later adopted into Persian and Mughal cultures.
- Chinar, also known as Oriental plane tree (plantus orientalis var cashmeriana), is a maple-like tree with a huge canopy and is found in cool climate regions with sufficient water.
- The tree is a characteristic of the Eastern Himalayas.
- It takes 30-50 years for a tree to mature and 150 years to reach its full size. The tree can grow up to a height of 30 metres while its girth ranges from 10 to 15 metres.
- The name ‘chinar’ was given to the tree by Mughals — some suggest it was Mughal emperor Jahangir who coined the name.
- The name comes from “Che-Naar Ast?” which means “What flame it is?” in Persian.
- Chinar is the “state tree” of Jammu & Kashmir, now a Union Territory.
(Sources: Indian Express and J&K Government)
