Marie Antoinette's Oak

I read today that the oldest tree at Versailles had to be taken down. It had died as a result of the bad storm in the winter of 1999 and 2 years of drought. Since I am a tree man as well as a cactophile, I share the sadness of many of the French who gathered to see it brought down.

Yes, alas trees die as well as men... There have been two important storms in the Paris area, one in 1990 and another in 1999, lots of trees have fallen down, especially big beeches and oaks in forests like "Saint-Germain" (some areas have been completely cleared of very old trees), as well as in parks like Versailles. We have to keep in mind that it is normal to replace old trees by young ones, but it is difficult. In Versailles, it is an opportunity to remodelate the park to restore the aspect of the "Grand siècle" since lots of plantations have been done, especially during the 19th century, which have completely changed the look as compared to that of 17-18th centuries (especially lots of chestnuts in lieu of linden for example).
The oldest oak I know is near Dax in the south west of France, it "was already old when Saint Vincent de Paul was a child and played under its shade"...

Old trees connect us to the past. At Mt. Vernon there is a tree planted by George Washington in the 1760s. In the Jardin des Plantes, in Paris, there is a tree planted by Buffon sometime in the 18th Century. Nice to see!

"Platane d'orient planté par Buffon en 17??" I know it very well since I worked a long time in the university nearby, but I don't remember exactly the date. What impressed me when I was a little girl is the slice of a giant sequoia with some dates on the annual rings like "Christ birth ..."