Jammu and Kashmir is the northernmost state of India. It is situated mostly in the Himalayan mountains. Jammu and Kashmir shares a border with the People's Republic of China to the north and east, the states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab to the south. Jammu and Kashmir consists of three regions: Jammu, the Kashmir valley and Ladakh. Srinagar is the summer capital, and Jammu, its winter capital. While the Kashmir valley, often known as Paradise on Earth, is famous for its beautiful mountainous landscape, Jammu's numerous shrines attracts tens of thousands of Hindu and Muslim pilgrims every year. Ladakh, also known as "Little Tibet", is renowned for its remote mountain beauty and Buddhist culture.

Kashmir is rich in forests. A variety of spruce, stately trees some of which are towering masses, grow in them such as Blue Pine, silver Fir, Himalayan spruce, Birch, Maple, Beech, Hazel, wild Oak.

Almost all the mountains are coated with dense forests, which, besides lending charm and healthful fragrance to the atmosphere, are a great factor of revenue to the country. The best varieties of pine and Deodar are found in the dense forests of Kishtwar and Bhaderwah. The Lolab valley too is thick with them.

These forests are regular haunt of lovers of sports. Ibex, Snow Leopard, Musk Deer, Wolves, red Bear, Markhor, Backbear, Barasingha etc can be found in these forests. Ibex is a wild goat with very long horns. Snow leopards are found in high forests.

The freshness and the peaceful calm of the atmosphere on these snow-peaked ranges as against the arid heat, din and fatigue of the Sun-baked plains of India, act as a tonic to his body and fill his mind with a feeling of pleasant contrasts. This is the first glimpse the sun-tanned visitor has of the glamour of Kashmir, which he had often heard, sung in prose as well as verse. In fact, no other part of the country offers such a lovely sight.

On the Panchal range, there are a few remarkable peaks viz., the three peaks round the Konsar Nag (12, 800 ft.), Tratakoti (15,524 ft), the highest on this range, and Romesh thong also named as Sun-set peak by Dr. Arthur Neve when he climbed it. A feature of this mountain range is the luxuriant growth of wild flowers. Also an alpine plant called Saussurea Sacra grows here in abundance.

The blue pine is one of the most useful trees. Its wood makes excellent charcoal, its resin is used for medicinal purposes, and in the mountain villages pine chips are used as lights and torches.

The silver fur has durable wood, free from knots and consequently easy to work. This tree grows to great size, reaching in some cases to one hundred and fifty feet in length and sixteen feet in girth.

The elm is a dine tree and is used for ploughs and buildings. The young shoots are fed to the buffaloes Boatmen like the ash tree for the paddles it produces, and walnut is priced for the making of furniture and spinning, wheels, but its growth and has not yet been fully developed