One thousand ancient oak trees will be felled to rebuild Notre-Dame Cathedral: an ecocide?

Nearly a thousand oaks from French forests will be needed to rebuild the spire of Notre-Dame Cathedral, which was destroyed in thefire that broke out on April 15, 2019.

The architects chose the first eighty-five ancient oaks, some 150 years old, and fifty-nine were then felled in the Villefermoy forest, southeast of Paris, and another twenty-six will be felled in four state forests managed by the National Forestry Office.

A project that has sparked quite a bit of controversy on environmental grounds. More than forty thousand activists have signed an online petition to stop the felling of the ancient oaks: in fact, they speak of"ecocide." However, officials let it be known that the oaks would still be felled for forest maintenance and regeneration. Also because, according to them, the oaks in the Villefermoy forest have always been used since the Middle Ages to build churches.

The wood from the old-growth trees will be transported to the sawmills within the month and will be processed until September before being inspected. Ultimately it will be dried for 12 to 19 months before being assembled in 2022, but given the long time required by the processes it will take years to see the spire rebuilt as it was before the fire.

Speaking to the Associated Press, Notre-Dame rector Patrick Chauvet said in recent days that, contrary to French President Emmanuel Macron’s promise, the restoration of the cathedral will not be finished by 2024, when Paris will host the Olympics. "It will take fifteen or twenty years,“ he commented. ”I can guarantee that there is a lot of work to be done!"

Pictured, Notre Dame after the fire. Ph. Credit

One thousand ancient oak trees will be felled to rebuild Notre-Dame Cathedral: an ecocide?

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