Assessing the Leaf Phenological Characters of Main Tree Species in Urban Forests of Smart City Srinagar

Abstract

Study was carried out to determine the phenological characteristics of prominent tree species in the urban forests of Srinagar city in India from 2023 to 2024 at three sites viz, Shalimar Bagh, Botanical Garden and Iqbal Park. Phenology of five deciduous species namely Platanus orientalis, Salix babylonica, Salix alba, Juglans regia and Ginkgo biloba was recorded in all the seasons at all the three sites following the Observational and Herbarium approaches. All phenological stages occurred earlier in 2024 than 2023, with leafing concentrated in early March–April and defoliation in late September–early December. Greatest advances were in vegetative bud initiation (1–2 months earlier across species), followed by leafing, flowering, and defoliation in P. orientalis (16, 10–20, and 8 days earlier). Juglans regia showed minimal shifts (3–4 days or on time). Salix alba had the earliest bud break (early March) and longest growing season (to early December), while Ginkgo biloba was latest to bud.