On January 15th, the results of the Tree of the Year contest will be revealed. While it’s crucial today to marvel at ancient trees, it’s even more critical to combat the industrialization of forests.
The “Remarkable Tree” that Obscures the Forest
On Thursday, January 15th, our colleagues from the League for Bird Protection (LPO), Wild Earth, and the A.R.B.R.E.S. association—in collaboration with the National Forestry Office (ONF)—will unveil the winners of the Tree of the Year contest. While celebrating the majesty of trees seems beneficial, we must ensure this event does not obscure the fierce battles to protect plant life, nor should it be exploited by ONF leadership to cover up their profit-driven motives and workforce reductions.
As we applaud these extraordinary trees, what is happening within our woodlands? As we pay tribute to these centuries-old natural monuments, what is the fate of the average trees and our forest ecosystems?
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A Paradox of Our Time
We live in a paradox. Never have we celebrated trees more, yet never have we been more disconnected from them. Never has the threat been greater, with climate disasters and the intensification of forest industrialization looming larger than ever.
Consider these figures: 80% of trees in France are less than 100 years old, barely teenagers in tree years. Logging has increased by 20% in the past decade with the introduction of felling machines. 77% of forest ecosystems are now in an unfavorable conservation state. Since Emmanuel Macron’s presidency began, the National Forestry Office has lost nearly 1,000 employees, and its privatization is accelerating.
Yes, we can be moved by photographs of magnificent beech trees, touched by the otherness of a sycamore maple, or feel the pulsating life force reaching up to the canopy. But we must not lose sight of what is crucial. We need to re-politicize our focus on the living world and the sources of our wonder.
The Legacy of Botanist Francis Hallé
We cannot be satisfied with merely preserving a few specimens or accepting the crumbs left by forest extractivism. We cannot separate contemplation from struggle. This echoes the invaluable legacy left by our fellow botanist Francis Hallé, who passed away just two weeks ago. He too urged us towards outrage and commitment. Beauty is meaningless if it does not inspire transformation and action, pushing us to cherish what we defend and strive for a life more connected to the natural world.
Remarkable trees are not exceptional cathedrals or natural oddities. They should be the norm, if only capitalism and our lifestyles would allow it. These trees are rare solely because we have made them so. They are survivors of axes and concrete, faint reminders of a world free from predation, sketches of a desirable future filled with the scent of flowers and humus.
Protecting the Future
While it’s essential to admire and protect ancient trees at all costs, it’s even more important to defend the upcoming generations. In every sprout, we must see the promise of ripe fruit and the sign of potential greatness. Every tree is potentially a monument; it just needs the chance to grow and breathe. Our role is simple: silence our machines and embrace humility.
Compared to the forces of life, industrial forestry is ineffective. It produces mere substitutes—plantations reliant on fertilizers and pesticides, cut down after just 35 years. The Douglas firs it grows in France are mere shadows of their true potential. In their natural habitat, these trees from the great forests of British Columbia can live for 1,000 years, reach heights of 100 meters, and have circumferences of 13 meters.
Emmanuel Macron talks about “repairing nature,” but there is nothing to fix except our relationship with it. Nature is not a broken machine. It is a flow we’ve walled in, a tsunami we’ve tried to contain in a jar.
The Irony of Industrial Forestry
It’s ironic today to see some in the forestry industry capitalize on the popular appeal of trees, creating contests and ceremonies that distract from the real issues. It’s not just the tree we should focus on, but the ecosystem it’s part of, the web it weaves with all other beings around it. By focusing on individual trees, we perpetuate harmful practices.
We sanctify a few individuals only to devastate the rest. Like national parks, we protect tiny patches of land while allowing deserts to expand just beyond their borders. We also ignore, quite superbly, interspecies exchanges or mycorrhizal solidarities (the enduring association between a fungus and a root). A tree never grows alone but is part of a cohort of other beings, and it is this entire ecosystem dynamic that we must defend and cherish.
The urgency is clear! We must not be deluded by the beauty of a tree but instead allow forests to grow, fight for their free development, and advocate for gentle forestry practices. We must battle against clear-cutting and see in every dormant seed the possibility of a monument. It is life itself that is remarkable, with all its generosity, exuberance, vitality, and brilliance.
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Hi, I’m Ashley from the Decatur Metro team. I share essential information for a sustainable and responsible lifestyle.
