A hugely popular forest outside Paris reopened to the public Saturday after being partially ravaged by a wildfire in July which forced the closure of the beloved nature oasis.
Although part of the Fontainebleau forest remains off limits for now, 80 percent of the area has reopened and large groups of walkers, rock climbers and other outdoor enthusiasts flocked to the woods to take advantage of the late summer sun.
The sprawling forest, around 60 kilometres (40 miles) southeast of the Fernch capital, is a particular magnet for climbers who come from around the world to tackle its famous boulders.
“It’s a return to the good old habits,” said Gilles Moutounet, a 59-year-old retail executive who spends most of his weekends climbing in Fontainebleau.
A few metres away, on another boulder, a retired couple dressed in green were also defying the laws of gravity. Stefano Rosso, nearly 70 and accompanied by his wife, has been visiting the forest’s climbing sites for 30 years. The couple travelled here from the Italian city of Turin.
While holidaying in the region, they made the trip over first thing in the morning. “We’re happy for ourselves, of course, but also for the community and local businesses,” he said.
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Public access had been restricted since a wildfire last month scorched some 2,000 hectares (5,000 acres) – around 10 percent of the former royal hunting ground.
Within the roughly 4,000-hectare restricted area – half of which was directly affected by the flames, with the remainder serving as a buffer zone – “firefighters are out every day extinguishing hotspots,” said Benoit Kaplan, a deputy prefect of the Seine-et-Marne department.
Some 20 percent of the forest is still off limits – made clear by signs reading “Access Prohibited” – with many burnt trees still at risk of falling.
Forest worker Julien Vabre was only too aware of the dangers of the lifting the closure. “Unfortunately, we know that reopening means campfires,” he told AFP.
“We know people will walk near the prohibited zone. The temptation to go in out of curiosity, or to take photos, will be strong.”
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Kaplan urged visitors to stick to the designated walking paths, with barbecues and smoking prohibited to prevent vegetation severely parched by successive heatwaves from catching fire.
France has been hit by three heatwaves in quick succession during a historically hot European summer that has seen widespread drought and wildfires fuelled by global warming.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
