Trees along the edge of the Château de Vincennes were cut down as part of a development project on Monday, September 2. Nature protection associations denounced “an ecological scam.”
This Monday, September 2, the felling of 18 trees around the Château de Vincennes began as part of a project aimed at making the area around the site more accessible.
At the sight of the tree carcasses, the stumps and the void left by the disappearance of these trees that had been there for decades, residents and nature protection associations were shocked.
“It’s a triple scam, as Francis Hallé (botanist) says. A heritage scam since you had large trees and you end up with shrubs. A financial scam since it cost nothing, and now you’re going to have to pay to plant and maintain fruit trees that are very water-hungry. Finally, an ecological scam since it takes 25 to 50 years to obtain the same services rendered,” lists Christine Nedelec, president of SOS Paris and France Nature Environnement Val-de-Marne.
Fear of heat islands and falcons
Urban conservationists say the logging will create a heat island. They also worry about the impact on local wildlife, including kestrels that nest in the castle walls.
Police officers were present to ensure the proper execution of this project, announced in October 2023 and against which mobilizations had formed.
The Vincennes town hall says it understands that “this development work necessarily arouses emotion”, but indicates in a long publication on its social networks that the trees were sick and risked contaminating those which are still healthy.
Slopes unsuitable for the development of existing trees
“Most of the felled subjects were too close to the counterscarp walls of the Château and threaten their good conservation: as a reminder, €4.2 million was invested by the State to reconsolidate and restore the walls of the ditches damaged in particular by roots”, indicates the city
According to the city hall, the gas, electricity, water networks and the metro station near the embankments are preventing the growth of the current trees.
If these 18 trees have been cut down, the town hall reports that 45 will be planted (9 turkey oaks and Damascus plums), i.e. 23 more than today.
Oriane Voisine with Florent Bascoul
