The known origins of Fontainebleau forest date back to around the year 1000. The forest is believed to have been acquired by the kings of France who turned it into a much valued hunting reserve.
The forest was also a source of building timber and firewood for the city of Paris, as wood could be floated down river on the Seine.
Neighbouring rural communities also used the forest as a place for grazing their animals: a 1664 census shows that 10,000 cattle and 6,000 pigs were allowed to roam the vast heathlands that existed at that period.
After a winter of devastation in 1709, measures were taken to reafforest and the planting of oaks began in 1720, continuing during the whole of the 18 th century.
In the 19 th century pines were introduced to turn the heathlands into forest. They currently occupy 40 per cent of the land, with oak at 45 per cent and beech at ten per cent.
Grazing gradually stopped during the course of the 19 th century, while the new phenomenon of tourism began to emerge. In 1847, Denecourt, a former soldier in Napoleon’s army, laid down footpaths and in 1849 the railway reached Fontainebleau.
At the same time, the Barbizon painters were becoming well known and in the passionate Romantic atmosphere of the period they stood up against the foresters, accusing them of damaging the landscape with their felling and plantations of pines.
In 1853 the foresters began a carefully planned development of the forest in line with the thinking of the time. They were forced to make concessions, agreeing in 1861 to the creation of “artistic reserves” which expanded to cover an area of 1,692 hectares by 1903.
For 50 years, forest management remained rooted in the concept of landscape preservation, despite the disappearance of the painters. At the end of the war, in 1945 and 1946, timber felling reached exceptional levels at 200,000m 3 per year, almost ten times the usual level of felling. This, again, led to violent protests. The concept of “artistic reserves” developed into that of “biological reserves” with a more definite scientific purpose.
In 1972 forest redevelopment began, designed to inject new vigour into the forest and to meet the expectations of the public who were now visiting in large numbers by car. Visitor activities began to grow – hiking, climbing, camping, picnicking and orienteering – and paths were closed off with barriers to prevent vehicles entering, stop the dumping of waste and decrease the risk of fire.
Extensive regeneration felling took place, again giving rise to controversy despite a major effort to provide information through exhibitions and guided tours. A visitor welcome and information post was also created in 1979.
During the 1990s, there was violent opposition from a small group known as “eco-warriors”. The chairman of the Natural History Museum was appointed to make an objective report on the state of the forest.
In 1993 studies were undertaken into the many problems associated with nature, forestry and sociological issues. They culminated in 1996 with the current forest management system which was officially approved on 21 st May 2004.
Voices are still constantly raised to try to find “still more effective” protection measures to combat the damage caused to the forest and the adjoining area through pedestrian wear and tear, erosion, refuse dumping, fires, unauthorised motor vehicle entry, creeping urbanisation and the road network. The idea of National Park status was first raised almost 100 years ago but has never been brought to fruition.
The forest does, however, benefit from many different forms of protective status. It became a “listed site” in 1965. In 1996 the area covered by unmanaged biological reserves was increased to 580 hectares and the managed reserves to 1,130 hectares. In 1998, the Fontainebleau forest massif was included as a UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) Biosphere Reserve. In 2002 the forest and its surrounding area became a “protected forest”. And the whole of the national forest was designated a Natura 2000 site in 2004.