The French term ‘allée’ is used in many parts of Europe when referring to tree-lined ‘ways of passage’ in parks and gardens, in towns or in the country. In the context of landscapes, ‘avenue’ has the same meaning in English. ‘Avenues’ (or ‘tree avenues’) are thus ‘ways of passage’—paths, streets, roads, but also canals or tram lines—lined with rows of regularly spaced trees.

Avenues (in this sense) constitute a cultural heritage that has shaped and continues to shape our rural and urban landscapes in Europe and beyond for more than five centuries. Today, we also need tree avenues to combat biodiversity loss and climate change: they are valuable habitats and ecological corridors, they store carbon and protect us from heat. Above all, they bring us the beauty that is essential to life.

Tree avenues are protected in many countries (in France, they are protected by Article L350-3 of the Environment Code, adopted in 2016, amended in 2022 and supplemented in 2023), but their future remains very precarious: their management is too often inadequate, and planting or replanting is insufficient, as pointed out in the Carcassonne declaration.

ALLÉES-AVENUES /allées d'avenir/ (avenues of the future) acts at a local and national level in France, and also at an international level. Our actions provide tools for all those involved in preserving this heritage, whether they are elected officials, tree, landscape or planning professionals, or ordinary citizens. They will also contribute to the future project of a European cultural route.

Actions of scientific nature:

• International symposia
• Exhibition ‘Tree avenues - from war to peace’
• Conferences

Actions of technical nature:

• National meetings
• ‘Mémento’ (a guidebook in French about the protection of tree avenues)
• a Collaborative platform open to participants of the national meetings

Actions of artistic nature:

• Artistic Observatory
• Exhibition of the Observatory's artworks

Advocacy actions:

• ‘Carcassonne Declaration’
• Support for external actors
• Publications