Built in the 13th century, the timber roof structure of Paris’ Notre Dame Cathedral, affectionately known as the “forest”, was destroyed in a fire on 15 April 2019. Before starting rebuilding work, historic monument architects, wood specialists, heritage curators and students worked on a number of different restoration scenarios. The selection process for the oaks to be used to reconstruct the roof structure began in February 2021. This titanic effort could take several years to complete, but the fire could have been far worse!