Are Russian Poplars a Menace in Kashmir?

When humans try to disturb nature, it is bound to have detrimental effects! Every place has its unique eco-system for living things to thrive and survive. But when we fiddle with nature, we have to be ready to face adverse reactions!

Same happened due to the introduction of Russian Poplars (Populus detoides) under the Social Forestry Project in Kashmir. The Russian Poplars saplings were imported from the United States in early 1980s to meet demand for wood and primarily improve the socio-economic condition of farmers in rural areas.

With growth, these poplars started to release white powdery, dandruff like material which was named as Russi and thus the tree got its name Russian poplars though these didn’t originate from Russian but from the United States.

Russian Poplars have faster growth than Kashmiri Poplars. If native poplars take 40 years to grow, Russian Poplars fully grow within a decade. Though Russian Poplars helped people economically, as any non-native species, some varieties of these trees shed fluffy cotton like pollens in summer triggering severe allergic reactions in humans.

As per a group of doctors, massive concentration of pollen in the air causes respiratory and eye infections. These pollen have turned into one of the major health hazards in Kashmir. In 2015, the Jammu and Kashmir High Court had directed authorities to fell non-native poplars across Kashmir.
The court had observed that pollen seeds of this Russian species adversely affect the health of the general public, mostly of elderly people and children. It has been noted that pollen seeds of these trees had led to a surge in chest diseases in the valley.”

With millions of Russian Poplars spread across Kashmir, authorities started to haphazardly axe these trees. In between there was outcry over mass felling of these trees by experts saying it will lead to ecological disaster in Kashmir. There was also a debate whether it were pollens generated by male or female Russian Poplars which caused allergies.

In accordance with High Court directions, the government had constituted a seven member committee in 2020  to ascertain the desirability of cutting down Russian poplars. The committee in its comprehensive report had claimed that there is no evidence or study which proves that seeds of female poplars cause respiratory infections.

It noted that the possibility of being a main factor in spreading the so-called “pollen allergy” in female individuals of poplar trees without reliable scientific data “sounds unfounded.”

The committee noted that respiratory health problems in Kashmir may be caused due to house dust and lawn grass. However, in the same breath minced no words to say that the production of large tufts of cotton, fluff by the female poplar trees “creates nuisance at urban locations such as hospitals, schools and other densely populated areas.”

It further recommended that female poplar trees should be phased out from areas like hospitals, schools, market places and densely populated areas while remaining trees should be cut as per protocol.

The report stated that phased out trees should be replaced by suitable trees while planting of all female poplar trees as avenue tree should be banned all across J&K.
“There has to be a complete ban on raising of female poplar trees in private nurseries of the valley while the existing nursery stock of female poplar shall be procured on the market price by government,” the report stated.

The panel had discouraged immediate removal of Russian poplars in rural areas saying it is likely to cause serious economic hardship to farmers besides severe ecological and environmental impact.
It advised farmers to replace old trees which have attained exploitable size of more than four feet and loop the trees at flowering stage to minimise cotton seed production and inconvenience to the public at large.

Notwithstanding the story so far, common people believe that there is a relation between dispersal of pollen and spurt in allergies in Kashmir. The problem is said to be severe in places where there is high concentration of Russian poplars.

On the other hand, a study carried by the Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), Soura, last year stated that allergies in Kashmir in the season between April and June were wrongly attributed to poplar trees. “Our data based on 17,000 samples stated that the major allergen in Kashmir is house dust mite which accounts for 90 percent of allergies. In a vast majority, that is over 70 percent of the population, pollen from grass causes allergies.

This is followed by pollen from pine species trees and Chinar trees,” the study states.
Till authorities reach to some logical conclusion, pruning of flowering branches of Russian poplars should be undertaken with onset of summer.

Planting of exotic tree species must be discouraged especially close to human habitations. There is a need to carry out comprehensive scientific studies to ascertain causes of pollen induced allergies in Kashmir.

Amid erratic climatic patterns in Kashmir and rising temperatures, we have to strike an ecological balance with scientific means and not myths!

Author is Executive Editor, Greater Kashmir