A fire, a mushroom and Kashmir's disappearing spring

Copyright © HT Digital Streams Limit all rights reserved. Economics Irfan Amin Malik 6 min Read 05 Apr 2025, 04:43 PM IST flames and smoking increases from the Zabarwan hills during a forest fire in Srinagar, Kashmir, on April 4, 2025. (Photo: Hindustan Times) Summary as field fires Kashmir’s forests, -Saa, a Livelihood in the face, and it’s disappearing -Along with a season, a livelihood in the face, and it’s disappearing -from the time with A season, with a season, a season, with a season, a season, a season, a season, with a season, with a season. Age old tradition. Srinagar: Spring in Kashmir once brought the smell of pine juice and moist earth, the struggling of melting snow, and the quiet rustling of footsteps that combs the bush floor for a delicacy that blooms like a secret. The Gucchi mushroom – stony, Rid and among the most expensive fungi in the world – drew long -term feeding in the Himalayan forest, where it grows wildly under Deodar and pine. But this year the routes are in Ash. The snow melted early. The forests are burning. And the valued morel disappears with them. Read it | Kashmir -Tourism is on thin ice amid a second snowless winter known for its earthly scent, medicinal properties and market value of up to £ 30,000 per kg, and the elusive Morchella Esculenta thrives in the moist, shady undergrowth of the Northwest Himalayas. But that habitat disappears quickly as wildfires – lubricated by human activities and stoked by months of dry weather – large parts of Kashmir’s forests. The flames demand more than trees. While the forest floor is drying and dark, morels also fade – along with the fragile reported and the nutrition of traditions that depend on them. Riyaz Ahmad Bhat, a 49-year-old Morel Picker of Pulwama in South Kashmir, who has been 16 since he was 16, has gucchis harvest, told Mint this is the worst damage he has seen. Fires have destroyed the bush floor, the moisture and organic matter that these invaluable mushrooms rely on, Bhat said, adding that its collection is already about 50% lower this season. Every spring – from March to June – is very armed with sharp eyes and careful hands for morels. But this year, Morel Pickers struggled to find these spongy, checkered mushrooms amid the scorched bush floor. Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) see one of his worst forest fire seasons in recent memory, with flames devouring ancient pine trees and wiping out Himalayan biodiversity. A combination of human negligence – such as unregulated camping – along with a prolonged dry game, rising temperature, strong winds and even safety patrols, caused widespread fires across the entire Union area. In the south of Kashmir alone, over the past week, more than 60 hectares of bush have turned to ashes. Since winter, a large part of the region has remained, which paved the way for fires to rage unnoticed. Dry grass, fallen leaves and crispy undergrowth fed quickly spread flames that converted valued green cover into charred desert. Wildfires – often exacerbated by wooden smugglers – have become disturbingly regular over the past few years. Despite tireless efforts by the J&K Forest Department and Local Volunteers, large Bushbane over the North, South and Central Kashmir have already been consumed. Firefighting efforts remain through a lack of advanced equipment and slow reaction systems. If covered almost every bush compartment, and smoke still rises from the wild grass and pine trees. Between January 21 and December 22, 2024, Jammu and Kashmir reported 117 Forest Fire incidents – higher than in previous years, according to official data. The Indian State of Forest Report 2023, published by the Forest Survey of India, found that Kashmir lost 40.61 square kilometers from the forest cover between 2021 and 2023. Shining trade, depraved hope has that foragers have long for their scent, but for their value – rich in iron, copper, mangenes, jerk, vitamin D and folate, the coastal house is renewed for their zinc, vitamin D and folate. Anti-inflammatory properties. The reputation gives a strong demand in both domestic and international markets. Look at the full image of valued treats and very expensive, elusive Morchella Esculenta, or Morel, thrive in the damp, shady undergrowth of the northwest Himalayas. (Photo: Irfan Amin Malik) Read it | Kashmir’s disappearing winter: How climate change pushes the Kangri tradition on the edge, but now people who once moved into Kashmir’s dense forests are looking for Gucchis, says forest fires in an already faded tradition. Many blame a combination of climate change, deforestation and urban distribution to push morchella esculenta to the rand – before the flames of this year. The decline is not just anecdotal. The 2018-19 digestion of forest statistics from the J&K Forest Department recorded a sharp decline in morel production – from 2000 quintal (200 tons) in 1991 to just 88 quintal (8.8 tons) in 2018, which has fallen real consequences. According to the department’s report of 2021–22, non-Timber-forest products are-essential for the livelihood of nearly two million people across Jammu and Kashmir. These forests spread over 20,230 square kilometers and offer more than just mushrooms: they produce nuts, fruits, herbs, gums, resin and raw materials that maintain rural and tribal communities. Indigenous groups such as the Gujjars, Bakkarwals, Gaddis and Chopans rely a lot in this natural wealth. Zahoor Ahmad, a farmer and Morel enthusiast from the South Kashmir Culgam, tells currency that there is a 20-30% dip in Morel collection this year compared to previous years. “It seems forest fires have affected production, and it will be interesting to see what ends the next few months until the season.” Some researchers notice that morels may result in forest disorders under certain circumstances. But for Bhat, the damage feels irreversible. “The fire has destroyed the forests, and no Morel Picker has found Gucchis anywhere in the past month. Our forests show no trace of morels this year, leaving us without income. If almost every bush compartment occupies, and smoking is still rising from the wild grass and pine trees. If the situation remains the same, we will go to higher range where snow will be, and it may risk the collection of moral. “Apart from the ecological impact, safety is a growing concern. Many licensed Morel Pickers say they are no longer willing to brave the forest, as smoking and flames – now visible from residential areas – keep them away. to ashes and pine trees are charred. Fires have destroyed vegetation, wild herbs and mushrooms, which severely affect communities that rely on forest products, “he told Mint. to visit forested areas, not wearing flammable items, and to be careful while moving livestock. not only provokes wildfires, but also the growth of moral growth. With minimal snowfall, the forests became a lot of fire, disrupting the moisture balance these mushrooms needed, which left pickers with nothing, “Mehmood told Mint. to grow, which indicated a gradual decline in hunting for J & K’s wild mushrooms in the coming years. ” The price drop reflects this pressure. that fires disrupt the morel crop season, just when yields should peak. While Kashmir is home to a diverse range of wild varieties, we may consider the commercial cultivation, similar to China, in the long run, “the senior scientist noted. Catch all the business news, market news, news reports and latest news updates on Live Mint. Specials