Jahangir's vision of paradise would have been incomplete without the grand chinar trees, a rare speciment of maple that grows in the Kashmir valley. The chinar, after alll, symbolises the beauty of Kashmir. But 11 years of violence has taken its toll on these precious trees. "Cutting these trees is punishable offense, but because of the administrative breakdown, it's happening unchecked," says Shahwar Gauhar, and environmental activist, who heads the Chinar Protection Forum (CPF).