Root offsprings of the 150 year old pear tree felled on 11 March are sprouting.
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Less than four months after it was felled on 11 March to free up space for a new house, the 150 year old pear tree of Aurillac’s town centre has started to regrow in a significant fashion.
One of the root offsprings sprouting next to the tree’s stump. Photo 5 July 2020, Aurillac, France.
The new shoots show how vigorous the existing root system is. Actually, it could be used to grow a new tree. Two weeks ago, the Director of the Conservatoire Végétal Régional d’Aquitaine told me that grafting a new pear tree on one of these root offsprings would give “a beautiful tree within ten years”.
This would be a way of preserving a living trace of Aurillac’s ancient legacy of fields and gardens growing fruit and vegetables. Unfortunately for the city’s heritage, the construction permit has been granted. The stump will have to be removed for the house to be built.
Les Jardins d'ici 
Such a shame to see an old tree cut down – but there is something so heartening about that little shoot coming out of the stump. I imagine they’ll be finding them for years to come, wherever the root system is present. (I read the linked-to post and really enjoyed that too.)
Thank you for your comment, dear Tiny Potager’s family of seven. Let’s hope that the residents of the new house will see a convenient new shoot in their garden and graft a new pear tree on it. Indeed, as you suggest, root offsprings can sprout from other parts of the root system, i.e. horizontal roots. It would be a good way to continue the story, with a pear tree of a variety of their choice formed to match the size and shape of their tiny new garden.
I hope so too. I really did enjoy your beautiful writing about the tree, my favourite read of the week 🌿
Thank you 🙂