“Trees are sanctuaries. Whoever knows how to speak to them, whoever knows how to listen to them, can learn the truth. They do not preach learning and precepts, they preach, undeterred by particulars, the ancient law of life.”

Hermann Hesse

A visit to Château de Montcaud is the chance for guests to go on a stroll through the botany of the world.

Entering a forest means leaving your own world behind for a while. Feel nature’s tranquillity descend upon you and a peaceful feeling flooding your body. This sensation is particularly true of the forest in the park of Château de Montcaud. What’s more, when strolling through this magnificent woodland, you are effectively strolling through the botany of the world. The five-hectare arboretum is home to more than 140 mature tree species that originate from Syria, Japan, Persia and, of course, all over Europe. When the current owners acquired the château and its estate in 2016, the forest resembled an impenetrable jungle. Exotic specimens were fighting for supremacy in the airs and there was hardly any way through the thicket on ground-level. It was a stroke of luck that the original plans of the park from 1892 came to light during the renovation of the building – and with the help of Marc Brillat-Savarin, it was restored to its original state.

The tree whisperer

Marc Brillat-Savarin is one of the best-known arborists in France. He is an athletic man with dark hair and a short beard, who often talks about the trees like a poet. He knows the history of the trees, knows how to read their bark like the lines of a book. And, needless to say, he loves them all, the Syrian juniper, the Japanese string tree or the Persian lilac. His particular favourites, however, are the English oaks, which adorn the woodland park behind the château alongside holm oaks, downy oaks and pyramid oaks. They tower up to 40 metres high – and, as Marc Brillat-Savarin puts it, they preserve “the memories of previous generations”. What does he mean by that? “We stand under an oak tree and know that our ancestors – like the former owners of this château – did the same.” This almost spiritual aura of the trees can sometimes be felt when you gently stroke their bark.

Wild encounters

“The botanical diversity of this park with its huge trees is characteristic of the landscape parks of the 19th century,” says Marc Brillat-Savarin as we pass the water basin with the grotto and head deeper and deeper into the botanical greenery. And, as usual, on this early morning we are accompanied by the chirping cicadas, croaking frogs, we hear an owl’s call and at some point, a cone falls from a cedar tree. A few insects play catch in the light filtering through the trees like dancing specks of dust in the limelight. Sometimes pheasants strut through the park and at night, fox pubs can be heard play-fighting for attention. Such a peaceful coexistence must surely speak for a healthy environment, or are appearances deceptive?

Changing climate, changing park

According to Marc Brillat-Savarin, the health-status of the trees varies greatly. Last year, a magnificent umbrella pine in the south-west end of the park was hit by a storm. “It fell over and took part of the history of this estate with it. We have placed its trunk nearby as a memento.” Climate change is bringing increasingly stormy winds. Climate and disease also mean that Marc Brillat-Savarin sometimes has to assign the felling of a tree. To compensate for such loss, roughly ten new trees and numerous accompanying shrubs are planted in Château de Montcaud’s park every year; mainly species that cope well with the changing climate. These include, for example, the daisy tree, also known as Melia. “It feels very much at home in a warm environment and is certainly an ornamental plant with a future,” says Marc Brillat-Savarin. To preserve the identity of the park and the spirit of the place, historical tree species such as the oak will also continue to be planted.

Opening of the mind

Anyone who has the chance to walk through the forest park with the charismatic aborist will broaden their view of the trees. Discover one twisting and looking for light, see two that seem to be hugging each other like friends, notice the bright flowers of another specimen that are visited by insects and thus promote reproduction. “Do you have a favourite spot in the park?”, we ask. Marc Brillat-Savarin does not hesitate for long and leads us to a place he calls the former “green hall”, to the left, behind the historic grotto. Two box trees still stand at the entrance and six imposing hackberry trees are arranged in an ellipse. As in the original plans, Marc Brillat-Savarin has planted beech hedges between them, thus recreating the green hall, “Mon Repos” in French, by shielding it from views. So even today, guests can retreat to this enchanted place to meditate – and feel not only the here and now, but also its history.