Lumberjacks cut down the site
On March 8, local time, in a forest that once belonged to the French royal family, lumberjacks began cutting down centuries-old oak trees to rebuild the iconic spire of Notre Dame Cathedral, which was destroyed by fire. To rebuild the 96-meter-high spire, about 1,000 oak trees between the ages of 150 and 200 are needed.
Aymeric Albert, head of commerce at the French Forestry Commission, pointed to the trunk of a 200-year-old oak tree that had been sawn off that day: "It's unique, it's very straight, without any internal flaws." ”
Albert said the trunk was enough to build an 18-meter-long beam that would help support the weight of the spire.
The trees, which will be harvested from the Domaine de Berce near Le Mans, were identified earlier this year and must all be cut down by the end of March, otherwise the sap secreted by the oak trees will leave the wood with too much moisture.
The trunk of each old oak tree is worth 15,000 euros (about 116,000 yuan) and will be dried for 12 months to 18 months before being cut and formed.
Schematic diagram of the structure of Notre Dame de Paris (yellow is a wooden structure, gray is a stone structure)
French President Emmanuel Macron announced last summer that he would rebuild the spires of Notre Dame cathedral in accordance with the original design of 19th-century Eugene violet-le-duc.
On April 15, 2019, Notre Dame Cathedral was hit by a fire, and the entire building was severely damaged, most of the top was burned down, and the spire collapsed in the fire. Reconstruction efforts have been repeatedly delayed due to COVID-19, weather and lead pollution.
Notre Dame cathedral suffered a fire in 2019
Albert said the selected trees were the "perfect result" of two centuries of joint maintenance by forestry workers. The forest, which previously supplied timber to the French naval fleet, will now also provide building materials for Notre Dame Through continuous maintenance.
"Now we will leave room for a new generation of oak trees, and in 200 years they will create the same forests we see today." He added.
Nandu reporter Shi Minglei