First oak trees chosen to repair roof, spire of fire-damaged Notre Dame

Notre Dame, part of a UNESCO world heritage site on the banks of the River Seine, lost its Gothic spire, roof and many precious artefacts in the fire,on 15 April 2019. © AFP

A total of 1,000 oaks are due to be harvested by the end of March, and then used to rebuild the spire and roof of the cathedral, which was ravaged by fire in April 2019.

Oaks from every region of France are being used to rebuild the cherished national monument -- around half from state land and the rest from private donations.

• France selects first oaks to be used in rebuilding Notre-Dame cathedral’s roof

The ministers of agriculture and culture attended a ceremony to select the official first tree, a 20-metre oak in the forest of Bercé near Le Mans, some 200 kilometres from Paris.

"The restauration of Notre-Dame starts today," said Culture minister Roselyne Bachelot on social media on Friday.

Après la phase de sécurisation, l’opération de restauration de Notre-Dame de Paris commence aujourd’hui!
Avec @J_Denormandie nous avons lancé la sélection, en forêt de Bercé dans la Sarthe, des chênes qui serviront à la réédification de la flèche détruite de la cathédrale. pic.twitter.com/sNrNNt2CSs

— Roselyne Bachelot (@R_Bachelot) March 5, 2021

A project for the next ten centuries

"This is a project that concerns the whole of France," said General Jean-Louis Georgelin, who chairs the body in charge of restoring Notre-Dame.

"It will ensure the security of the cathedral for eight centuries, ten centuries."

The trees will be cut and stored for 12 to 18 months to prepare them for use in the reconstruction phase which is set to begin in autumn 2022, allowing for a planned reopening of the cathedral in April 2024.

Restaurons Notre-Dame reveals six scenarios for the restoration of the frame, spire and roof of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris #NotreDame https://t.co/KLJXNgkmOf

— Restoring Notre-Dame de Paris wood framework (@RestoreND) February 21, 2021