PASSION FOR TREES
Enzo Enea’s lifelong passion for nature stems from an early experience with a peach tree in his grandfather’s garden, as he explains:
“I had a formative experience with my grandfather when I was a little boy. His garden in Emilia Romagna was both a playground and an adventure. My grandfather, an attentive and patient stonemason who loved to build fountains, picked a large, ripe peach from a tree, which I bit into with relish to quench my thirst. The juice ran down my chin, and the taste of that fresh, sweet fruit was so divine that it burned into my memory. Although I was not aware of the power of nature at that young age, the experience left a lasting impression on me − it is related to my career choice and my passion for trees. They purify the air, provide shade, lower the temperature during global warming, provide wind protection, dissipate floods, and are home to various flora and fauna. Only 2000 saplings can compensate for the oxygen production of an old tree. When we cut down an old tree, we destroy time − and time is something you can’t buy.”
To save old, heavy trees threatened with felling, Enea has developed a unique technique for transplanting them. 50 ‘rescued’ trees − some of them hundreds of years old − now stand and thrive in the fantastic Tree Museum at Enea’s headquarters in Rapperswil-Jona.
Trees are a vital element in all of Enea’s design schemes. The company employs a tree scout and has an on-site nursery that houses and cares for old trees until they can be used in projects and retake roots.
