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Yeah they buried the lede on that one. > For example, it requires long clear runs of oak from trunks 6 metres in length and up to 1.2 metres diameter (at chest
by throwup238 2y ago
Yeah they buried the lede on that one.
> For example, it requires long clear runs of oak from trunks 6 metres in length and up to 1.2 metres diameter (at chest height) for planking and other longitudinal timbers. They need to be straight-grained and clear of knots.
No wonder they can’t afford it. Commercial oak is generally harvested when it’s 20-25 in at chest height. A 1.2 m tree is probably going to be at least 150-200 years old. No one is cutting those down without a serious payday.
Some of the trees used to restore Notre Dame were centuries old. One 20 meter tall tree they used was about 300 years old.
- jdietrich 2y agoThe cost is almost irrelevant - the vast majority of British trees meeting those specifications will be legally protected, so most of the challenge is simply finding a suitable tree that can be legally felled. https://www.trees.org.uk/Help-Advice/Public/A-brief-guide-to-legislation-for-trees https://www.trees.org.uk/Help-Advice/Public/A-brief-guide-to...
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- throwup238 2y agoNot according to TFA. It’s not that they can’t find trees to fell, it’s that they can’t afford commercial rates and they don’t want to use cheaper trees from continental Europe so they have to resort to soliciting donations. Only a small fraction of ancient and veteran trees are protected (oak is veteran at 150+ years), not the vast majority: > Despite their functions as carbon sinks and wildlife havens, there is no protection for ancient or veteran woodland unless it has been found to harbour other rare wildlife, or if it is subject to a tree protection order or is sited in a legally protected wildlife area. An estimated 20% of ancient and veteran trees are in such areas, so most have no legal protection. [1] [1] https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jun/30/study-suggests-existence-of-up-to-21m-ancient-and-veteran-trees-in-england https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jun/30/study-su...
- username135 2y agoThey cut the tree down for the rebuild? That seems kinda sad.
- throwup238 2y agoA lot of the older ones came from the Forest of Bercé which has been managed since the 17th century. It was originally a royal forest meant to grow long timber for ships, so it’s not like they’re cutting down virgin forest. They only used about a thousand oaks and Bercé alone is thousands of hectares (I think they sourced from over 100 other public and privately managed forests too).
- username135 2y agoMakes sense... Still kinda sad that something so old has to meet an untimely demise.