(Opinion) Kashmir’s poplar trees debate: Guilty or Innocent?

Every year in the months of April-May, the clamour for cutting poplar trees grows louder in the Kashmir valley. It is common to come across media reports blaming the poplar trees for causing flu among residents. Now, people also take to social media to vent out their anger against the poplar trees that are blamed for causing pollen allergies especially among the children.

However, health experts in Kashmir recently declared the poplar trees ‘not guilty’ and underscored the need of taking steps against the popular misconceptions. “The Health experts unanimously refuted the popular misconception to blame poplar trees for allergy like throat infection, cough, itchy eyes and runny noses. They said that the actual fluffy particles seen in the air are actually massive particles and they don’t cause allergies of such concern. However, it could be a carrier of some of the other pollen and fungal infections that cause allergic reactions. They said it is very important to make people aware that cotton seeds of female poplars do not induce any allergic conditions in humans,” stated a recent official statement. It further said that there is no authentic research from any expert from the field of forestry or any medical report that has so far revealed that cotton from female poplars or pollens from male poplars directly cause any allergy or health issue.

“The problem of flying cotton fluffs can be tackled through systematic research and adopting short and long term measures. One of the steps could be pruning well ahead of pollination and adapting the plantation of hybrid new age poplars free of cotton fluffs,” the experts added. Stating that people may be already suffering from allergies due to invisible pollen, the government later called for an awareness campaign in this regard.

The latest government stand is in stark contrast with the earlier orders from the concerned authorities. A resident had approached the Jammu and Kashmir High Court seeking a ban on planting of female poplars in 2014. Later, the court ordered the state government to axe the trees amid objections by the environmentalists. In 2020, the government had ordered lopping of female trees amid the Coronavirus outbreak.

“All the deputy commissioners of Kashmir valley shall ensure the lopping of female poplar trees by the private land owners within one week. In case of non-compliance, the Tehsildars in consultation with the SFC (State Forest Corporation) shall cut down the female Russian species poplar trees and the costs/charges on account of the felling shall [be] met out from the auction proceedings of the felled down trees and the remaining amount shall be remitted in the government treasury. The concerned SSP (Senior Superintendent of Police) shall provide the necessary security arrangements,” the order had stated. However, as per studies conducted by the Government Medical College Srinagar and SKIMS Soura, the pollen of poplars caused allergic reactions in less than 20 percent of people.

Experts have also suggested that the silky cotton seed of poplar may not cause much harm, but it has been misinterpreted due to the carrier nature of other pollen grains. Experts further fear that unscientific harvesting of poplar trees on a large scale could result in ‘desert-like conditions’ besides affecting the livelihood opportunity of farmers and others in Jammu and Kashmir. It was found out in studies that pollen from other trees caused comparatively higher allergic reactions. Interestingly, it was found out that pollen from pine and some grass species can cause allergic reactions in 62.7 percent of people. And similarly, the pollen from Chinar trees can cause allergic reactions in 60 percent of the population. However, there have been no calls for axing of other trees. Only poplars have been blamed that interestingly were introduced in Jammu and Kashmir on a large scale in the 1980s. Now, the poplar trees are reported to meet nearly 80 per cent demand of fruit boxes and around 15% of raw material for the veneer/ ply board industry.

And while Jammu and Kashmir leads apple production in India, the demand for fruit boxes has to be met. According to estimates, the fruit industry in Kashmir requires around 30 million wooden boxes for fruit transportation purposes. And therefore, poplar wood is chosen for making such boxes due to its light weight. The poplar trees also fetch good economic returns to its growers. One poplar tree is said to provide an income of Rs 9,000 to Rs 15, 000 with a short rotation cycle of seven to eight years. Also, the name Russian poplar is a misnomer and has nothing to do with Russia. This variety called ‘Roosi fraess’ in local parlance takes less time, around 10 to 15 years, to grow. At the same time, Kashmiri poplar takes 30 to 40 years to grow.

Now, the latest government stand comes as a relief for both environmentalists and the growers of poplar trees. The committee comprising health and other experts also underscored the importance of poplar trees in terms of environmental cleaning and economical value. It also stressed that there is a need for awareness and educating people for growing poplars in a balanced ratio of male and female varieties so that in future we may not experience profuse pollen/cotton in air beyond its carrying capacity. “Above all there is an urgent need to develop better clones in future that will take care of every aspect related to poplar plantation including cotton dehiscence. By destroying these greenery contributing trees Kashmir will take the shape of desert and there is threat of environmental hazards,” the committee observed. Therefore, it is hoped that a consensus will develop over poplar trees. And also, more research needs to be undertaken to ascertain whether or not pollen from polar trees cause widespread allergies in changing weather conditions.