They award labels to remarkable trees: "It is a living being that must be respected"

When three Parisian nature enthusiasts created the association Trees, they thought they would award around twenty labels.

But, for twenty-eight years, the association has become essential.

Thanks to its principle of promoting yews, the structure now has 1,300 members and awards an average of 80 new labels each year;

750 remarkable trees are now certified in France, including 80 in Île-de-France and 15 in Paris.

Read alsoIn Île-de-France, general mobilization to save nature in the city

Thanks to the contacts thus established, the association has even drawn up a declaration of the rights of trees, which more and more municipalities are adopting.

In Île-de-France alone, a dozen cities, including Paris, Champlan, Orgeval, Nogent-sur-Marne and soon Sucy-en-Brie, for example, have adopted this document which reminds us that the tree is " a living being" that must be protected.

What counts to have the label?

Height, beauty… and legends

“Which is the opposite of French law, which only considers trees as objects, whose owner could do what he wants,” laments Georges Feterman.

Founder and still president of the association, this associate professor of natural sciences travels the region and even the whole of France to discover the most beautiful trees and their history.

To award the Remarkable Tree label, a committee meets three times a year.

"And they are selective," says Georges Feterman.

What matters ?

The size, the beauty, sometimes the stories or legends associated with the plant.

The members of the association no longer have to look for specific trees, they are now systematically reported to them.

Some award-winning trees are also favourites, such as the cherry tree in the Jardin des Plantes in front of which all passers-by take their picture!

Paris (VIII), Parc Monceau.

Georges Feterman, founder of the association Arbres, regrets that French law “only considers trees as objects”.

LP/Olivier Corsan

“Our objective in creating the label was to distinguish trees in order to better preserve them, but our missions have expanded around these specimens, the cultural value of which is also important, welcomes the founder of Trees.

Our label is now recognized by the State Secretariat for Biodiversity.

The tree is a living being that must be respected.

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The Trees association is often called upon to help endangered species.

It even sometimes organizes commented walks on particular sites, such as, recently, in the Bois de Vincennes, where trees could be cut to allow the extension of line 1 of the metro.

Exhibitions, books and documentaries

The members of the association publish books, participate in exhibitions, as at the moment and until May 9, on the gates of the Hôtel de Ville in Paris… They have even produced two documentaries, one in 2019 , which had done very well in theaters, and the other, "Remarkable Trees and Forests", scheduled at the moment, in which the explorer Jean-Louis Étienne or the novelist Gilles Legardinier participate, for example.

Read alsoEnvironment: how to improve the protection of trees outside forests

In Cachan (Val-de-Marne) alone, for the last screening, 80 amateurs made the trip.

And Georges Feterman confirms: “The interest of Ile-de-France residents in trees has increased a lot in recent years.

Even among professionals in green spaces or forests, we are much more respectful than before.

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