Forest of Fontainebleau

The Forest of Fontainebleau (French: Forêt de Fontainebleau, or Forêt de Bière, meaning "forest of heather") is a mixed deciduous forest sixty kilometres southeast of Paris, France.

A young man in the forest of Fontainebleau, Pierre-Auguste Renoir 1886

It is mostly in the arrondissement of Fontainebleau in the southwestern part of the department of Seine-et-Marne. Parts of it are in adjoining cantons, and even as far west as the town of Milly-la-Forêt in the neighboring department, Essonne. Several communes are in the forest, notably the towns of Fontainebleau and Avon. The forest has an area of 280 km² (110 sq mi).

Plants and animals

The most common trees in the forest are: oak (44%), Scots pine (40%), and European beech (10%). Three thousand species of mushrooms have been discovered. The forest is also home to approximately seven thousand animal species, five thousand of which are insects.