Fougères Forest, National forest in Landéan, France

Fougères Forest is a national forest in Landéan, France, covering about 1,600 hectares (4,000 acres) and mainly composed of beech and oak trees. The terrain is gently rolling, with small valleys and a few streams, and the forest is crisscrossed by a network of dirt roads and walking paths.

In the past, this forest was part of a larger wooded area that stretched between Brittany, Maine, and Anjou. It belonged to the d'Alençon family and later to the royal domain, and was managed by the water and forests administration.

The forest is part of the old Forest of Scissy, a name that still appears in local stories and on some maps. Today, people from nearby towns come here for walks, mushroom picking in season, and to see the old megaliths like the Cordon des Druides.

The forest is open to the public all year, and you can enter from several points around Landéan and Laignelet. Wear sturdy shoes, as some paths can be muddy after rain, and keep in mind that some areas are set aside for wildlife.

The mineral fougèrite, a type of green rust, was first identified in the forest's wet soils in 1996 and named after the forest. Also, the forest is home to several bat species that winter in the old cellars of Landéan.