To rebuild Notre Dame's fire-ravaged roof, carpenters use centuries-old techniques

SAINT-LAURENT-DE-LA-PLAINE, France — The wooden structure supporting the roof of Notre Dame Cathedral was so vast, it was known as "the forest." It burned like a forest too. After the April 2019 fire that badly damaged the Paris landmark, nothing was left of the intricate maze of medieval beams but charred black timbers that pierced the nave and transept as they fell to the cathedral floor, leaving a gaping, smoking hole.

Now that , as the framework supporting the roof is called, is being rebuilt as part of the effort to restore and reopen one of the world's most famous churches by