Băneasa Forest: the Urban Forest in North Bucharest and Its Path to Protected Status

Băneasa Forest is an urban forest in the north of the capital, a remnant of a much larger forest in the Wallachian Plain. It is not yet a protected natural area, but steps toward that began in 2025.

From Baneasa Residence

1.2 km · about 16 min walk
940 m by car

See the route in Google Maps

A remnant of a larger forest

Băneasa Forest (Pădurea Băneasa) is on the northern edge of Bucharest, in Sector 1, next to the border with Voluntari. The Bucharest Natural Park Association (Asociația Parcul Natural București) describes it as an urban forest, a remnant of a much larger forest area in the Wallachian Plain and the Subcarpathian Hills.

We do not give a single figure for its area here. The sources we read give different values, from 350 hectares to over 1,200.

Who owns the forest

The forest has mixed ownership. In January 2020, the then environment minister, Costel Alexe, said that 374 hectares belong to the state and are managed by Romsilva, and that 63% of the forest is privately owned. He also announced that, starting in March 2020, the state’s part would move from the category of production forests to that of protection forests. In protection forests, healthy trees are no longer felled; only sanitation work is done and fallen trees are removed.

The path to protected status

On September 5, 2025, the Ministry of Environment, Waters and Forests held a public debate on declaring the forest a protected natural area. Minister Diana Buzoianu said that a declaration project is being pursued, either of national interest, by government decision, or of local interest, by decision of the Bucharest General Council. The next steps include submitting the scientific studies to the Romanian Academy.

In September 2025, Sector 1 City Hall signed a five-year protocol, at no cost, with four non-governmental organizations on managing land with protected natural area status, including Băneasa Forest. The Bucharest Natural Park Association said that the scientific study for declaring the area was already prepared.

Rewilding

On the page of the “București Rewilding” program, Băneasa Forest is presented as a forest that could become a conservation area, with educational and recreational uses.

Frequently asked questions

Is Băneasa Forest a protected area?

Not yet, according to sources from September 2025. The declaration was under public debate, and the next steps include submitting the studies to the Romanian Academy and drafting the legal act. The situation may have changed since then.

How large is Băneasa Forest?

Sources give different figures, depending on which land they count. The only clear figure for the state’s part is the one announced by the environment minister in 2020: 374 hectares.