Arboretum de la Hutte
Encyclopedia
The Arboretum de La Hutte (3 hectares) is an arboretum
Arboretum
An arboretum in a narrow sense is a collection of trees only. Related collections include a fruticetum , and a viticetum, a collection of vines. More commonly, today, an arboretum is a botanical garden containing living collections of woody plants intended at least partly for scientific study...

 located in the Vallée de l'Ourche, variously described as within the towns of Darney
Darney
Darney is a commune in the Vosges department in Lorraine in northeastern France.It is located in the Vôge Plateau, around the location of the source of the river Saône. Darney is known for its forest of oak and beech trees.-History:...

 or Hennezel
Hennezel
Hennezel is a commune in the Vosges department in Lorraine in northeastern France.Near Hennezel you can follow the beautiful Vallée de l'Ourche with scenic places -Points of interest:* Arboretum de la Hutte...

, Vosges
Vosges
Vosges is a French department, named after the local mountain range. It contains the hometown of Joan of Arc, Domrémy.-History:The Vosges department is one of the original 83 departments of France, created on February 9, 1790 during the French Revolution. It was made of territories that had been...

, Lorraine
Lorraine (région)
Lorraine is one of the 27 régions of France. The administrative region has two cities of equal importance, Metz and Nancy. Metz is considered to be the official capital since that is where the regional parliament is situated...

, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

. It is open daily without charge.
The Ourche river
Ourche
The Ourche is a river in the eastern France, a left tributary of the Saône. Its valley, the Ourche valley, is well known.- Geography :The Ourche flows entirely within the Vosges. It is the first notable tributary of the Saône, rising at the lieu dit of La Groseillére at Gruey-lès-Surance...

 flows across Darney forest to join the Saône
Saône
The Saône is a river of eastern France. It is a right tributary of the River Rhône. Rising at Vioménil in the Vosges department, it joins the Rhône in Lyon....

. One century ago Vallée de l'Ourche was an industrial country with forges, sawmills and glass factories. Only one glass factory still operates near the valley (La Rochére glass factory).

La Hutte Chapel, near the arboretum, was built at the end of 19th century in Swiss style.

The arboretum was created circa 1874 by forge-master Alfred Irrois, and contains mature specimens of Liriodendron tulipifera
Liriodendron tulipifera
Liriodendron tulipifera, commonly known as the tulip tree, American tulip tree, tuliptree, tulip poplar or yellow poplar, is the Western Hemisphere representative of the two-species genus Liriodendron, and the tallest eastern hardwood...

, Quercus rubra, Sequoiadendron
Sequoiadendron
Sequoiadendron giganteum is the sole living species in the genus Sequoiadendron, and one of three species of coniferous trees known as redwoods, classified in the family Cupressaceae in the subfamily Sequoioideae, together with Sequoia sempervirens and...

, and Thujopsis dolabrata. It is now in some disrepair, but as of 2007 it was proposed that the Office National des Forêts (ONF) take responsibility for its rehabilitation.
Just try to encircle the trunk of a giant Sequoia and try to find the hidden huge Douglas !
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