PARIS, July 16 (Reuters) – French President Emmanuel Macron pledged to replant the historic Fontainebleau forest south of Paris on Thursday after wildfires scorched at least 10% 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.”
• 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.
• In 2019 Macron made a similar pledge to rebuild Notre-Dame cathedral after a blaze devastated large parts of the gothic gem. Notre-Dame reopened in 2024 after individual, corporate and private donors pledged nearly €900 million in donations.
(Reporting by Dominique Vidalon; Editing by Makini Brice)
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