A Challenge of Rebuilding Notre Dame: The Forests That Supplied Its Wood Are All But Gone

By Katherine Dunn
Fortune Magazine
April 16, 2019
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

…Even though “the worst has been avoided,” as President Emmanuel Macron said Monday night, early reports of the damage are devastating. …As the oak frame met its end, so too did remnants of Europe’s dwindling ancient forests. …Replacing those beams with comparable oak is simply not an option, said Bertrand de Feydeau, vice president of the preservation group Fondation du Patrimoine. Trees that supplied the roof’s frame came from primary forests—forests that are largely untouched by human activity, he said. He surmised that the huge trees associated with primary forests are gone too. …Only 4% of Europe’s remaining woodland is primary forest, according to a study published last May. …De Feydeau seemed to come to this conclusion too: Notre Dame, he said, will have to rely on new technologies to rebuild.

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