When Conservation blocks Green Enterprise: Time to rethink the specified trees act

RK News
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13 Dec 2025

MUDASIR MEHMOOD MALIK Let me begin with few questions to ponder over:

Will farmers grow Poplars (Frass) or Willows (Vir) on their farmlands if they had to get permissions from the government to fell and sell them?
Do we see large Plantations of Poplars & Willow Plantations or the specified trees like Pines (Deodar/Kail), Walnut?

If an apple farmer can plant a high-density apple orchard for economic prosperity, why can’t a walnut farmer do the same and what for he/she should preserve an old, low-yielding tree occupying almost sometimes a total holding of a farmer when he has a family to sustain? The Jammu & Kashmir Specified Trees Act was enacted with good intentions to protect the valuable and unique trees of Kashmir. As is given in the act: “Whereas certain species of trees growing in the State are the main sources of raw material for the specialised industry of Kashmir Art, or are otherwise of vital importance for the economy, prosperity and welfare of a large section of citizens of the State” The Jammu & Kashmir Specified Trees Act was born to conserve iconic species such as walnut and pines. At the time of its enactment, the law addressed a pressing concern preventing indiscriminate felling of valuable trees which support the horticulture economy of Kashmir & the Wood Art industry of the Valley. Since 1969, when this act was enacted market economy has changed drastically, and the scientific knowledge and improved varieties have been developed to replace these traditional varieties. We have seen what the introduction of Fast-Growing species by the Social Forestry Department and deregulating the felling of Poplars have done to the poplar-based farm economy in the Valley. The Poplar plantations have boomed, and associated industries. The poplar-based economy of the Valley runs in thousands of crores and is considered an insurance crop by many marginal farmers. There is popular saying that whenever a poor man marries his children, they are supported by a poplar tree. Poplars were not protected, but still their plantations prospered, and the people plant them out of their own goodwill on a large scale. Now, coming to Specified trees-The protected and conserved ones- Do we see any large-scale pine plantations or for that matter, new Walnut Plantations? Do you think Walnut trees are not being felled and not replaced? Why is it so; because farmers see them as liability on their lands rather than an asset. Imagine a Deodar tree on your land or in a courtyard, and you want to construct a house on this only land you have. The ordeal of getting permission to fell and then to use the tree for your own house (Forget about selling it) is going through the dreaded corridors of red tape. Farmers, households, and entrepreneurs hesitate to grow these species, knowing that cutting, pruning, or even replacing them requires a cumbersome chain of permissions. This discourages investment in large-scale plantations, reduces ornamental planting in homes and institutions, and undermines the very spirit of expanding tree cover outside forests. Take the Walnut crop -The walnut Kernels are one industry we have a monopoly on (almost 98%), and we can have an economic windfall to farmers if we invest in it like we are investing in the apple sector (The high input, transport intensive, weather dependent, and chemical intensive crop). The modernisation of the walnut kernel sector can bring prosperity to about 7 lakh families dependent directly or indirectly on the farm sector. J&K has a choice to make either freeze its walnut sector for the sake of a tiny handicraft niche or unlock prosperity for lakhs of farm families by modernising orchards. The walnut-wood carving craft is precious and must be preserved as a heritage art form. But it cannot be the reason to hold hostage an entire farm economy worth over INR 10,000 crore annually. With hybrids, farm modernisation, and global branding, kernels can be the green gold of J&K. The way forward is clear, let old unproductive trees give way to new high-yield plantations, while handicrafts find support through design, innovation, and alternative wood sources or dedicated walnut wood lots which can be created. Farmers deserve the right to grow prosper, not be chained by outdated regulations. Also, the timber export argument is one of the key justifications for the Act has long lost relevance. Export of timber outside J&K is already banned under separate regulations. The restrictions of the Act add little in this regard but continue to complicate matters for ordinary landowners. In effect, the law has created an anti-enterprise framework. Instead of encouraging individuals to see value in trees as sources of income, employment, and environmental services, it locks them into bureaucracy and, at times, illegality. The rightful owner of a tree often earns the least, while middlemen and loopholes flourish. The real loss is not just economic, but also ecological. A forward-looking policy should encourage farmers and entrepreneurs to plant more trees walnuts, pines, poplars etc. on private lands, degraded lands, and institutional spaces. By stifling this, the Act narrows our green future. The Specified Trees Act belongs to another era. To build a greener and more prosperous J&K, we need laws that enable rather than discourage. Conservation should not mean closing the door on enterprise. Instead, smart policy can make every landowner a partner in growing more trees, creating jobs, and diversifying the rural economy. Tourism is an important sector but it is the farm sector which can bring prosperity for all and for most of the times conserving ecology, supporting economy and protecting our shared heritage. It is time to rethink and reform. Protecting our heritage trees is important, but nurturing a vibrant future for plantations, green industries, and livelihoods is equally essential. If we want more trees in our villages, farms, and homes, then planting them must feel like an opportunity, not a trap. Footnote Preventing trees from felling is not conservation rather making to love to plant it for economic and ecological prosperity is.Protecting trees begins where regulations end and people choose to grow them. (Author is Deputy Conservator of Forest. Feedback: mudasirmehmood64@gmail.com)