Forest of Fontainebleau

forest in France

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 change

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.