NEW LIFE FOR A FOREST IN THE SKY
Over the centuries, Notre Dame’s roof was commonly known as ‘the forest’ – a reference to its intertwined oak beams. The 2019 fire completely destroyed the roof, and 2000 oak trees will be needed to rebuild it exactly as it was.
Numerous countries stepped forward to offer trees for the reconstruction. Ultimately, the body overseeing the restoration of Notre Dame decided to use only French oaks due to time constraints involved in harvesting and drying the wood.
At the beginning of March this year, before the sap began to rise, foresters from the Office
National des Forêts (ONF) felled the first eight oaks in the Bercé Forest, 120 kilometres southwest of Paris. The wood from these exceptional trees – 230 years old, one metre in diameter, with more than 20 metres of useful trunk – is destined for the base of the rebuilt spire. Five of them had to be perfectly straight, and three had to have a specific curvature needed for the construction of the base.
The remaining trees are being harvested this year from forests throughout France. After the oaks are felled, the wood is left outdoors for several months to allow rain to wash out the tannins. Then it needs another 12 to 18 months to dry. Once the wood’s moisture content drops below 30 per cent, the Notre Dame carpenters can get to work rebuilding this one-of-akind forest above the streets of Paris.