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Video length: 3 min
Environment: in Fontainebleau, volunteers are trying to save the forest from invasive species
Environment: in Fontainebleau, volunteers are trying to save the forest from invasive species
(France 2)
For several years, Prunus serotina, a tree species, has proliferated in the forest of Fontainebleau, in Seine-et-Marne. Volunteers are working to save the green lung of Île-de-France.
With its trees as far as the eye can see, the Fontainebleau forest (Seine-et-Marne) is the green lung of Île-de-France. It has 22,000 hectares of different species. But a threat hangs over these woods: that of a tree, called “Prunus serotina”. This invasive species now represents a third of the forest. To track down the invader, a small army of volunteers meets up with their general, Pascal Villebeuf. This former journalist created his safeguarding association two years ago.
An easy tree to flush out
To recognize the intruder, Pascal Villebeuf has an infallible technique. “You cut a small branch, you smell it, and if it smells like bitter almonds, you can cut it“, explains the specialist, about the characteristic odor of Prunus serotina. To reforest, this winter, 53,000 plants will be planted, including a species of oak adapted to climate change.
