Fontainebleau forest could take decades to recover after wildfire, expert says

Cover image: This photograph shows fire burning through the undergrowth during a forest fire in the Fontainebleau Forest, in Acheres-la-Foret, in the Paris' Ile-de-France region on July 13, 2026. © Thomas Samson, AFP

As France battles a wildfire south of Paris, Stefan Doerr, Director of the Centre for Wildfire Research at Swansea University, tells FRANCE 24's Monte Francis that "we need to prepare the environment more to reduce the risk of fire, but we will never eliminate it completely". The blaze has scorched around 1,200 hectares of forest, with aircraft and firefighters working throughout Monday to contain the flames. Regarding the regeneration of the forest, Doerr said it could take the area up to 30 years to recover.