Conservationists are urging immediate action as climate change and human activities threaten Kashmir’s centuries-old Chinar trees, a symbol of the region’s cultural and ecological identity, famed for their red and golden hues that blanket the valley each autumn. Their numbers have fallen from about 42,000 in the 1970s to between 17,000 and 34,000, a 2021 Forest Department report said, with more than 30,000 trees identified in an ongoing census. Experts blame rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, droughts, illegal felling, urban expansion, poor upkeep, and cement fencing around Chinars in parks and markets that restrict their growth. Some trees, up to 700 years old, still stand in historic Mughal gardens, deeply rooted in Kashmiri art and tradition. Despite legal protection under the 1996 Land Revenue Act, many continue to vanish. To counter the loss, the Forest Department has begun geotagging trees with QR codes to track their age, location, health, and growth for conservation.