1,500 Oaks to rebuild the Notre Dame spire

 

Picture from The Guardian. Credit to Francois Mori/AP

Every time we submit plans in CA cities with oaks, we have to declare if there are oaks inside-outside the lot and if there is the intention to remove them, which would be not a choice for us, so important historical oaks are.

There are different species of oaks in CA and I had the surprise to see, in Pasadena, there are some Jack Blue Oak Trees from the East Coast. 

Urban oaks in Pasadena. Photos by Myriam Mahiques, 2020. Personal archives.

So today I am reading this article on The Guardian which is informing us 1,500 oaks aged 150 and 200 will be needed to rebuild the spire of Notre Dame Cathedral which was on fire in April 2019. 

I have some mixed feelings about it, being and architect and with such a love for landscape and trees.

But Notre Dame is an architectural treasure and of course the sacrifice of oaks will be fine while (as it is stated in the article) they will be replaced for brand new oaks to be utilized by future generations. 

From the article:

"Emmanuel Macron said the 850-year-old cathedral would be rebuilt by 2024, but there were questions over whether the spire, added in 1859 by the architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, would be reproduced with a “contemporary gesture” as the president had hinted. 

 Last July, Macron announced the spire would be reconstructed exactly as it was. This is expected to require up to 1,000 oaks aged between 150 and 200 years old. The trees must be straight, 50-90cm (20-36in) in diameter and between 8 and 14 metres tall. They must be chopped down by the end of March before the sap rises, otherwise the wood will be too humid. Before being cut into beams, the trunks will be allowed to dry for up to 18 months." (....)

"Work to restore the cathedral is not expected to begin until the beginning of 2022. Carpentry experts say rebuilding Notre Dame as it was will take 2,000 cubic metres of wood, requiring about 1,500 oaks to be cut down. The cathedral’s roof contained so many wooden beams it was called la forêt (the forest). The roof’s support included 25 triangular structures 10 metres high and 14 metres across at the base, placed over the stone vaults of the nave."

NOTE: Read the full article clicking on the link above.