Living in Paris, I paid little attention to the city’s treescape until a few years ago. japanese pagoda treeLeaves skimming a pond in Parc des Buttes-Chaumont in the 19th arrondissement.
From that moment on, the trees of the city, from the dramatic weeping willows and their trailing foliage along the Seine to the military rows of London plane trees that line the Champs-Élysées, give Paris an unparalleled elegance and grandeur.
It was a belated epiphany, but somewhat understandable. Especially in Paris, dozens of majestic landmarks attract the attention of locals and tourists alike.
However, there has been a recent resurgence of public and political perceptions of urban trees, not only as natural free-standing monuments of equal importance to the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower, but also as important assets in the fight against climate change. Municipal councilors of Paris, arborists and others are investing in the tree landscape by planning new urban forests, increasing the number of protected historic trees and organizing walking tours. .
“Trees are an important part of Paris’ identity,” he said. Christoph Najowski, Deputy Mayor in charge of green space. “The tree-lined streets and Parisian promenades make up the city enormously and are a 150-year-old legacy. We are following in the footsteps of this heritage.”
wonderful tree
After all, the Japanese pagoda tree (enclosed by a fence) is one of the 15 “notable trees of France” in Paris that have the official name. Arbresis a volunteer organization of the nation’s most eminent scientists, botanists, horticulturists, writers and horticulturists. The association aims to promote and protect the most beautiful, important and rare trees in France with official labels.
Also on the list is a 420-year-old tree of exceptional cultural and biological importance, though not particularly impressive.
Brought from North America and planted in 1601 in the small Rene Viviani Square opposite Notre Dame Cathedral, the Robinia or Robinie faux acacia is the oldest tree in Paris. Its leaves are still green and full of bloom, but the tree bears scars from bombing and shelling during World War II, and its split trunk is supported by steel beams.
“She’s the mother plant,” explained Béatrice Rizzo, the city’s forestry engineer, during a guided visit. “You could say that all the locust trees in France came from this one tree,” she said.
In addition to the Arbres list, you can find online, the City of Paris maintains a separate, more extensive catalog of notable trees. All 176 trees Public interactive mapBoth lists share similar criteria including age, size, botanical and cultural importance.
Square Rene Viviani’s Black Locust has received a notable designation from both the Municipality of Paris and the Municipality of Arbre, Self-guided tree walking tour created by the city.
“A tree damaged like this could never have survived in nature,” said Georges Fettermann, president of Albres. “It’s like protecting monuments. Why preserve old churches? Because they testify to human history.”
Other tree landmarks on walking tours of the city include the orderly form of linden trees adjacent to Place des Vosges and flood-resistant poplars at Place Louis Aragon on Ile Saint-Louis.
A long legacy of urban planners
Last year, parliamentarians in Paris approved a project aimed at: Plant 170,000 new trees Create pockets of urban forests in strategic areas to mitigate the effects of urban extreme heat and absorb air pollution across the city by 2026. The city also announced a 10-point “tree charter” containing pledges to protect Paris’s exceptional specimens.
“The goal is to completely rethink our approach to the city, protect existing trees and plant as many plants as possible in six years.” Mr. Najovsky Said.
The city’s modern afforestation scheme can be seen as a revival of a long legacy of city planners who harnessed the beautifying, cooling, and calming power of trees. You can go back. Tuileries Garden She and her friends were able to take a leisurely stroll away from the daily traffic. cool la reinethe four long rows of trees that today stretch from Place de la Concorde to Place de Canada.
Under the vision of civil servant Georges Eugène Haussmann and his chief engineer Adolphe Alphand, trees also played a central role in the colossal reinvention of the 19th century city. Over 17 years, the total number of trees is nearly Doubled from about 50,500 to 95,600Today, the uniformity of the tree-lined streets and the park’s lush, shaded walkways also gives Paris a unique landscape.
“The trees along the boulevards and major thoroughfares are usually single trees, often London plane trees or horse chestnut trees, creating a repetitive landscape,” said the city’s chief urban architect. says Avila Tourny. “The effect is a monumental perspective a bit like Versailles, and creates a very classic landscape in the heart of Paris.”
In recent years, forestry engineer Rizzo says the climate emergency has made Parisians fall in love with the city’s trees. As I was tapping the trunk with a mallet to ask about illness, I was stopped by an anxious passer-by who had to reassure me that I was merely doing a “check-up.”
“Never before has the tree been the savior of the earth and the center of our well-being in the city more than today,” she said. “I’ve been doing this job for 30 years, and we haven’t talked much about trees.”
Indeed, news that a 200-year-old London plane tree near the Eiffel Tower could be demolished as part of the city’s plans to refurbish the area for the 2024 Olympics sparked protests this spring. and ignited online outrage. When asked about the fate of the trees, Najovsky said the city was reviewing plans and that “zero trees” would be cut during construction.
Feterman says the Arbres Association receives daily requests to decorate new trees with the Remarkable label. Although the designation carries no legal weight and rather acts as a “moral protection”, the association works closely with the City of Paris and has recently received public support from the federal agency Ministry of Environmental Transitions. received. Several cities, including Paris and Bordeaux, have also signed up to the association’s Tree Bill of Rights, urging signatories to protect trees as living monuments.
“We are asking cities to approach it differently, think of trees as living, breathing beings, and consider all the consequences that come with it,” said Fetterman.