Context:
During forest fires in Mussoorie and Landour, one of the pine cones would catch fire up above and come rolling down and start it all over again.
Chir pine (longleaf Indian pine):
- Locally known as Chir ka ped.
- A conifer can grow up to a height of about 30 metres.
- One of the 6 pines in India that have maximum occurrence and area
- Vegetation Type – Montane Temperate Forests of the Himalayas.
- Distribution –
- Native to the Himalayas (believed as not introduced to the Himalayas by the British)
- Found all over the Western Himalayas
- Covers about 16% of the forest area in Uttarakhand.
- Features –
- Identified by its 3 needles and its round cone (unlike the elongated cones of other pines).
- Seen growing on steep slopes
- Grow even in sunlight exposed sites
- Root system is shallow and it doesn’t require a lot of water.
- Economic significance – Used for resin-tapping (locally known as lisa) is used for making turpentine oil after distillation.
- IUCN Red List Status – Least Concern
Concerns with Chir pine:
- Forest Fires —
- Pine needles are highly inflammable – leading cause of forest fires in the region.
- The bark of the tree doesn’t catch fire easily since it has a very high ignition temperature
- Degrade Lands — Because of the pine presence, bacteria’s in the soil die, and replaced by a parasitic fungal relationship. It takes away resources available for other plants
- Lack of Water Retention — Because of the lack of bacteria, the water holding capacity of the soil decreases and the region with the pine trees is mostly drought-prone.
- No Use for Livestock — Pine needles are not used as a cattle feed, or bedding material for the livestock of the people, thus it is effectively of no use to the locals for their animal welfare.
Source: Indian Express
Previous Year Question
Consider the following statements:
1. The Government of India provides Minimum Support Price for niger (Guizotia abyssinica) seeds.
2. Niger is cultivated as a Kharif crop.
3. Some tribal people in India use niger seed oil for cooking.
How many of the above statements are correct?
[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2023 Prelims]
(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) All three
(d) None
Answer: (c)
