\paperw4260 \margr0\margl0 \plain \qj\li105\ri195 \f1 \b Forest of the Ardennes\b0 \ATXul1024 \par
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\ATXul0 For centuries what is now France was covered with vast forests,
especially in the north and east. In fact the ancient Romans used to call this huge stretch of territory ôhairy Gaul.ö The incessant clearing of land, the continuous settlement of new regions, industrialization in the nineteenth century, and the developm
ent that has taken place in the twentieth have considerably reduced their importance. Yet vestiges of this forgotten world survive, such as the deep forest of the Ardennes (traversed by the valleys of the Meuse and Semois) with its woods of oaks, hardwoo
ds, and conifers filled with wild boar and deer.\par
