By Mathieu Pollet | EURACTIV.fr 21-07-2022 Since 12 July, more than 20,000 hectares of forest, spread over two sites near the city of Bordeaux, have gone up in smoke – an area larger than the city of Paris. Nearly 37,000 people had to be evacuated. [EPA-EFE/BOB EDME / POOL MAXPPP OUT] Euractiv is part of the Trust Project >>> Languages: FrançaisPrint Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram French President Emmanuel Macron announced a plan for wide-scale reforestation on Wednesday during his trip to the fire-ravaged region of South-West France. Since 12 July, more than 20,000 hectares of forest, spread over two sites near the city of Bordeaux, have gone up in flames – an area larger than Paris. Nearly 37,000 people had to be evacuated. Macron, who visited the area on Wednesday in a move to support the firefighters and the victims, announced plans for a “major national project to replant”. “We must build for the day after” and “start work straight right away”, he said. “We have to rebuild, in this case we have to reseed, we have to grow again but with different rules and rules of prevention,” he added. France is not the only European country impacted by devastating forest fires. “What is happening in Portugal and Greece is a foreshadowing of what is likely to happen in Northern Europe. The models have been very clear for the last 10 years, we have an extension of the risk areas towards the north and in altitude,” Eric Maillé, a research engineer at the French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment told EURACTIV France. (Mathieu Pollet | EURACTIV.fr)
