Ancient Tree Forum

5th September 2003 Greatest oak at Versailles dies of heat stroke		The Marie -Antoinette oak, the oldest tree at the Chateau de Versailles, on the outskirts of Paris was declared dead by Alain Baraton the chief gardener at the Chateau. He believes the storms of 1999 had affected the tree and this years heat was the last straw despite watering throughout the dry, hot weather. ONF say it is too early to assess the overall damage from the summer heat, but trees in the northern part of France have suffered most. Some experts are saying that the summer drought, heat and forest fires may have inflicted nearly as much damage on French timber as the devastating storms of 1999. Ted Green, our travelling correspondent in Geneva, writes about the effects of the great heat on trees in eastern France and Switzerland. For more information about our summer temperatures and affects on our wildlife see our phenology web site www.phenology.org.uk - where you can read about Ted's experiences in the "What's new" section.

		Further information contact: www.onf.fr/actu/index.htm For more information about our summer temperatures and affects on our wildlife see our phenology web site www.phenology.org.uk