The symposia held by ALLÉES-AVENUES /allées d'avenir/ are intended to increase knowledge about the special cultural and natural-heritage aspects of tree avenues.

This involves unveiling facets of avenues that are not studied to any great extent or brought to the fore, and to provide the public with new knowledge and resources for better preservation and appreciation of avenues.

The symposia address both professionals (people working with trees, in landscaping, gardening, roads, the environment, etc.) and an enlightened public (private landowners, lovers of avenues, persons involved in tourism, in cultural activities, other engaged individuals). By bringing professionals and non-professionals together, the symposiums open the way for joint development of preservation initiatives.

Held every three years, they are major events in terms of their international participation, their scientific character, the originality of the issues addressed, and their outreach beyond professional circles.

The international symposium of 2018 brought together 110 participants (from 12 countries on 4 continents) who learned about the memorial avenues that, inspired by France’s tree-lined roads, are a feature of many communities in the English-speaking world, in particular. It was the seed from which grew an exhibition. And it has produced a comic album to be published in 2024.

The international symposium of 2023 (11 countries represented) was inspired by French President Georges Pompidou’s exhortation of 1970: “Safeguarding the trees planted along our roads (…) is essential for the beauty of our country, to protect nature, and to safeguard a truly human environment”. The symposium took place in Carcassonne (France).

"Tree avenues – from war to peace": International symposium, 12 & 13 November 2018

3 million trees: this is approximately the number of trees which lined the French roads when the 1^st World war started. These avenues, standing like soldiers on parade, channeled fresh troops towards the front lines. As the distance to the front diminished, so did the avenues, increasingly shattered and gap-toothed, foretell the grizzly horrors that lay ahead. Avenues were also readily identifiable targets. Where they survived they exhaled hope and were a reminder of the existence of order before the chaos.

These avenues made a strong impression particularly on soldiers of the British Commonwealth. They were frequently described by them in their letters and drawings, and later on in their stories. In 1915, they inspired a British officer, Second Lieutenant Alexander Douglas Gillespie, to wish for the creation of “one long avenue (...) from the Vosges to the sea”. The French parliamentarian Lemire proposed the same concept in 1919.

During and after the war, avenues of honour were planted in Australia: Every tree was dedicated to a soldier, with a plate bearing his name and details. New-Zealand, Canada, the United States, Great Britain, Italy followed. Germany planted also a few memorial avenues of the kind.

The symposium was labelled "European Year of Cultural Heritage" and "Mission Centenaire", and joined the "Thank You Movement" from the British Royal Legion. 110 participants from 4 continents gathered to listen to high-profile professionals and engaged citizens who presented the history of these avenues, the issues of preservation and the dynamics at work, with communities and public authorities as main actors.

The final round table concentrated on the "Avenues - Horizon 2030" initiative. The participants listed 58 existing  or possible actions. All related to 3 key-words : link - knowledge - events.

You will find all the presentations (summaries, powerpoints and videos) here and some more information about "Avenues - Horizon 2030" here.

The symposium could be organized thanks to our sponsors  :

PLATINE

OR

ARGENT

BRONZE

Did you know that the word ‘avenue’ (or ‘tree avenue’) refers to tree-lined ‘ways of passage’—paths, streets, roads, or canals?

Did you know that ‘avenue’ is the English equivalent of the French term ‘allée’, used in many parts of Europe when referring to tree-lined ‘ways of passage’ in parks and gardens, in towns or in the country?

Did you know that using ‘avenue’ in this sense is one of the recommendations for helping to preserve this natural and cultural heritage that are listed in the white paper ‘Road infrastructures: tree avenues in the landscape’ published by the Council of Europe in ‘Landscape facets. Reflections and proposals for the implementation of the European Landscape Convention’?  

Did you know that the use of a single term for all these different alignments, whatever their context, shows how strongly they are all related to each other?

Did you know that both the term ‘avenue and the term ‘allée’ are connected to ‘French gardens’? The prevalence of the term ‘allée’ throughout continental Europe indicates the influence of 17^th-century French garden designers, followed by that of graduates of the Ponts et Chaussées engineering school in the 18^th century, then in the 19^th century, the application of Napoleonic regulations.

Did you know that cultural exchanges continued into the 20^th century, particularly through the planting of memorial avenues in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Italy to commemorate the First World War?

Did you know that tree avenues do more than just stamp a strong mark on the landscape, but are also a response to the issues of our time? Shade,temperature mitigation, capture of dust and pollutants, carbon sequestration, special biotopes and ecological corridors, etc.: these are some of the advantages that studies have identified, and they were acknowledged in the Infra Eco Network Europe declaration of Lyons in 2016.

Did you know that trees play a positive role in road safety and that there is no correlation between the risk of being killed or injured on roads in a given area and the wealth of roadside alignments of trees in that area? On the contrary, in fact, studies have shown the positive role of tree avenues with respect to road safety.

Did you know that people the world over are extremely fond of this heritage? This is regularly shown by surveys and by the commitment of associations of all kinds.

Did you know that after a strong decline in avenue assets, enthusiasm for avenues has been growing in many parts of Europe for more than twenty years and that October 20 is European Avenue Day?

Did you know that many regions and countries are engaged in a movement for promoting avenue heritage? In France, the Société pour la Protection des Paysages et de l’Esthétique de la France has been awarding its ‘Avenue Prize’ since 2015.

Did you know that tree avenues are protected by law in many countries and regions, e.g. in Sweden, Luxemburg, Wallonia, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern? They have been protected in France since 2016 (article L350-3 of the Code de l’environnement) because of their triple interest—cultural, role in biodiversity, and other rewarding features (landscape, environment).