French restoration experts are scouring the country for centuries-old oaks needed to rebuild the spire of the 850-year-old Notre-Dame cathedral, which burned down in 2019.

The fire was initially discovered at the base of the 93-meter wood and lead spire and quickly spread to the roof of the cathedral that was made up of ancient oak beams known as la foret (the forest).

Now, rebuilding efforts are focused on finding oak trees to reconstruct the cathedral with the same wood used in 1859 when the spire was added. That needs 1,000 oak trees aged between 150 and 200 years old.

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The trees will need to be cut down by the end of March before the sap rises and will then be cut into beams and allowed to dry for nearly 18 months.

Dominique de Villebonne, deputy director of the National Forestry Office (ONF), told Le Parisien newspaper: "This is the legacy of old forestry, not 20-year-old trees but very old trees."

Some private forest owners have offered to donate trees to the rebuilding project.  

Suggestions for rebuilding the historic cathedral ranged from swimming pools or rooftop gardens to a contemporary glass spire, encouraged by President Emmanuel Macron saying he was open to a "contemporary gesture."

But those ideas were abandoned after the vice president of the Guild of French Architects said it would be a mistake to rebuild the cathedral in anything but the same wood.

In the original structure, the spire, which collapsed due to the blaze, was made of wood and covered with a protective lead coating. The use of the original elements has raised concerns about possible lead pollution.

The president hopes the rebuild will be completed by 2024 in time for the Olympic Games, to be held in Paris.

However, work is unlikely to begin until 2022. So far, work on the damaged cathedral has focused on stabilizing the structure.

Source(s): VCG, The Guardian