French President Emmanuel Macron pledged to replant the historic Fontainebleau forest south of Paris on Thursday after wildfires scorched at least 10 percent of the 20,000-hectare domain and forced 1,000 residents to flee. The fire is now contained but Macron warned it would take several weeks for it to be completely extinguished. "Your forest is our forest because it is a treasure," Macron said in Fontainebleau as he announced the launch of a fundraising campaign to replant the forest. "It is a treasure for welcoming people and for biodiversity."
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Cover image: Un bombero trabaja para extinguir las llamas en el bosque de Fontainebleau durante un incendio forestal en Le Vaudoue, en el marco de una ola de calor que afecta a gran parte de Francia, el 13 de julio de 2026. © Reuters/Stephane Mahe
The fundraising campaign is led by the Fontainebleau municipality, the National Forest Office (ONF) and the Fondation du Patrimoine, Macron said. The Fontainebleau forest is a former royal hunting ground that later became a celebrated subject for Impressionist painters and attracts hikers, nature lovers and climbers to its famous boulders.
