Srinagar: Kashmir’s forests are shrinking rapidly, with the region losing 40.61 square kilometers of forest cover in just two years, according to the latest Forest Survey of India (FSI) report.
In 2023, Jammu and Kashmir had 21,346.39 square kilometers of forest cover, down from 21,387 square kilometers in 2021.
A major reason for this decline is large-scale deforestation for development projects. Over the past decade, 60-70% of cleared forest land has been used for infrastructure, including roads, military installations, and tourism-related construction.
Popular destinations like Gulmarg, Pahalgam, and Sonamarg have seen hotels and government buildings encroach upon forest land, often with official approval.
Gulmarg alone lost 727 hectares of forest for 198 projects, leading to the felling of nearly 1,850 trees.
In the Jammu division, over 21,000 trees have been approved for felling, with 8,150 already cut. The Jammu-Katra Expressway has taken up 36 hectares of forest land, while the construction of the new J&K High Court complex in Raika-Bahu—known as the “Lungs of Jammu”—will see 38,000 trees removed from 40 hectares.
Srinagar’s development projects have also caused severe tree loss. The Ring Road project resulted in the cutting of 1.10 lakh private trees, including Chinar, Walnut, and Mulberry, amounting to a financial loss of Rs. 13.76 crore.
In Pulwama and Anantnag, dozens of Chinar trees have been felled, and the removal of over 200 poplar trees near Amar Singh College sparked public outrage.
Large-scale infrastructure projects continue to threaten Kashmir’s forests. The Ujh Multipurpose Hydropower Project alone will result in the felling of over 2.14 lakh trees. The 220 KV Srinagar-Leh transmission line in Ganderbal has already led to the cutting of 700 trees, while the Zojila Tunnel project saw contractors remove over 300 trees without proper permission.
Forest fires have further worsened the situation, with 4,156 incidents detected between November 2023 and June 2024, averaging 17 fires per day.
Between 2001 and 2023, Kashmir lost 952 hectares of tree cover to fires and another 3,230 hectares due to other factors.
Deforestation and climate change are deeply connected. Kashmir is already facing erratic snowfall patterns and unusually warm winters. January, which typically brings the harshest cold, has seen unexpectedly high temperatures, signaling a shift in climate patterns.
Rural mountain communities, especially the poor, are the most vulnerable to these changes.
