The sunlight filtering through Fontainebleau’s ancient oaks once inspired painters like Camille Corot. Today, the same forest paints a different picture — one of ecological stress and survival.
On a bright November morning, parched Scots pines shed their needles early, and the crowns of oak trees stood bare. “This tree suffered from hydric stress and cavitation,” explained Alexandre Butin, deputy head of the National Forestry Office’s (ONF) regional unit. “Air bubbles prevented sap from reaching its branches, and it suffocated.”
Fontainebleau Forest, stretching over 25,000 hectares southeast of Paris, has become a microcosm of France’s climate crisis. Its sandy soil retains little water, making it vulnerable to drought, fires, and violent storms. This summer alone, 50 blazes burned through hectares of woodland — many sparked by careless tourists.
Since 2017, ONF’s DEPERIS protocol has monitored the forest’s health using drones. Data reveals an alarming rise in degraded trees — from 20% in 2017 to nearly 40% today. Yet Fontainebleau’s struggle has also made it a “laboratory for adaptive forest management.”
“We’re about 20 years ahead of other regions,” said Butin, who oversees efforts to regenerate and diversify the forest’s ecosystem. Each winter, 60,000 new seedlings are planted — including drought-resistant downy oaks, beeches, and even fruit trees like pear and apple.
These saplings are nurtured in protective tubes or enclosed areas to shield them from wild boars and harsh weather. By mixing species, the ONF aims to build what Butin calls a “mosaic forest” — a patchwork of trees with varied resistance levels and growth rates.
“We never put all our eggs in one basket,” he said. “The goal is diversity — it’s our best defense.”
Felled or fallen trees, once cleared away, are now left to decompose naturally, boosting biodiversity by providing habitats for insects, birds, and bats. Around 30% of the forest’s biodiversity depends on this decaying wood.
“Fontainebleau is a good place to experiment with adaptation,” said Xavier Morin, director of the Centre for Functional and Evolutionary Ecology in Montpellier. “It shares many traits with other lowland forests, so its lessons can guide broader conservation.”
More than 11 million visitors each year explore Fontainebleau’s trails, ponds, and rock formations — a reminder that it remains both a sanctuary and a symbol. In 1861, Napoleon III made parts of the forest the world’s first “artistic reserve.” Today, that legacy endures through the foresters safeguarding it.
“I trust in nature,” Butin reflected. “We’re here to help her — and she reminds us of the humility we must have in the forest.”