It’s confirmed: Tuesday, November 12, an oak tree will be cut down. Not just any: that of the Chalamard estate, in Vergt (Dordogne). Well known to residents, the property was acquired by the Dupuy family in 1904.
Philippe Dupuy, the current occupant, had an unpleasant surprise: the company that came to trim the hedges found that the 10 meter high oak looked sad. The hunch was correct, since a study showed that the tree was being devoured by the great capricorn. There is a risk that it will collapse onto a wing of the buildings.
The owner therefore had to resign himself to destroying this approximately 300-year-old plant: “It’s horrible to have to cut it down,” reacts Mr. Dupuy. For our family, it's like the Eiffel Tower. »
A question of insurance
A decision that was not to Jérôme Hutin’s taste. The Périgord photographer has immortalized the oak on several occasions during his activities. He mobilized to convince the managers of the 4-star gîte to let the oak live. “In fact, to cut down such a tree is to condemn it, not letting it continue its crusade of life,” writes Jérôme Hutin in a press release. It is big and beautiful, it can live for hundreds of years. We are fueled by a certain fear, that he might fall. When you walk in forests, how many trees are on the ground? Yet we are not afraid of it, we do not measure the danger. »
Arguments that Philippe Dupuy counters: “One has the impression that I am a bastard of a rich owner who cuts down trees. If the tree falls, my insurance won't work. And I can't afford a new roof. There is also a caretaker who lives here all year round. If he or someone takes a branch, it will be serious injury at minimum, if not worse. No one can imagine how hard it was for me to make this decision to cull, but it has to be done. »
New oak trees should be planted, but this time at a good distance from buildings.
