Bairo
Bairo is a municipality in the Canavese area, in the Province of Turin. Its territory is home to the Residence del Frate, a residential care home (RSA) whose entrance has for over a century been dominated by a cedar of Lebanon of notable size, considered a rare specimen in the Canavese [1][2].
The Residence del Frate's cedar of Lebanon
According to local tradition, the tree was brought to Italy from the Middle East by a Marian friar [1][2]. Over the years the cedar has become a landmark for the home's residents, who see it as a symbol of beauty and resilience [2].
The tree had already been hit by bad weather in the past: the year before the events of 2026, a violent storm with strong gusts of wind had broken two branches [1][2].
The branch failure and the care works
In the days before 9 October 2026 the tree suffered the sudden failure of some load-bearing branches, a sign of weakness that led the care home's owners to order in-depth checks [1][2]. The home's management ruled out felling the tree and brought in a team of arboriculture experts [1].
A team of tree climbers carried out crown-thinning pruning and reinforced the canopy with support cables, while a forestry agronomist carried out a phytostatic survey to assess the tree's overall health and stability [1][2].
The residents' involvement
The home's elderly residents followed the work on the tree with concern [1][2]. After the treatment, the most visible wound left on the trunk was protected with a custom-made wooden board, on which a resident with a passion for nature and painting painted two little birds, as a gesture of affection to accompany the tree's recovery [1][2].
The Residence del Frate's management said it had never considered felling the cedar, choosing instead to invest in its care to give residents a healthy environment [1][2].
Timeline
- — In Bairo, in the Canavese area, the century-old cedar in the grounds of the Residence del Frate is not felled but treated, by decision of the care home that hosts it. → Prima il Canavese TorinoOggi
Related articles: Rescue of the century-old cedar at Residence del Frate in Bairo (October 2026)
Sources
- Il cedro ultrasecolare del Residence del Frate non si abbatte, si cura: la lezione green della RSA di Bairo — Prima il Canavese, 9 October 2026
- Bairo Canavese, salvato il centenario cedro del Libano del Residence del Frate — TorinoOggi, 9 October 2026