Srinagar, May 9 -- By Dr. Ashraf Zainabi

Every spring, Kashmir enters the same cycle. Streets fill with drifting fress-famb from female Russian poplars, hospitals see rising cases of allergies and breathing distress, and families struggle through weeks of coughing, irritation, and asthma flare-ups. Public debate then swings between emotional calls for mass cutting and endless bureaucratic hesitation. Neither path solves the problem.

Kashmir already has the tools to fix this crisis. What it lacks is a clear village-level plan with timelines, accountability, and public participation.

Suppose a revenue village contains nearly 3,000 poplar trees. Around 1,000 among them may consist of female Russian poplars that release the cotton-like fre...