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# One thousand trees from French forests for the spire and transept of Notre-Dame
- URL: https://theparnassian.com/en/originalnaia-krysha-notr-dama-shedevr-inzhenernoi-mysli-byla-sooruzhena-iz-13000-dubov-v-xii-veke-pochemu-ee-nazyvali-la-foret-les-v-to-vremia-kak-shpil-perestraivalsia-v-xix-veke/
- Published: 2021-03-15T07:21:06.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-02T19:07:52.000Z
- Author: Alexandr Radayev
- Tags: Architecture, Heritage, Society, Paris, Nature

The original roof of Notre-Dame, a masterpiece of engineering, was built in the twelfth century from 13,000 oaks, which is why it was called la forêt (the forest), while the spire was rebuilt in the nineteenth century. After Macron announced that traditional techniques and materials had been chosen to restore the former appearance of the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris, it was decided that the spire and the transept would require 1,000 trees. The trees selected for the roof of the cathedral must be of a particular shape and, depending on the element to be replaced, have a diameter of between 50 cm and a metre and a height of between 8 and 20-odd metres. Some of the timber elements will have to bear a load of 300 tonnes; these will be 20-metre beams cut from the longest and thickest trunks without knots. All these trees have been selected from various regions of France and must be felled by the end of March, before the sap rises and the wood becomes too moist, which would make it impossible to prepare the trunks. About half of the trees come from the national forests of France, the rest from 150 private estates. Many forest owners considered it an honour to donate their trees to the restoration of the cathedral, even though the value of each tree is estimated at tens of thousands of euros. But it is also excellent publicity: to be able to say that your timber is so good that the roof of Notre-Dame de Paris was built from it.