CONVERSION OF PASTURELANDS INTO COMMUNITY FORESTS: TECHNICAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS - THE CASE OF INEU (BIHOR COUNTY, ROMANIA)

Abstract

The paper presents the process of converting former communal pastureland into a community forest, implemented in Ineu Commune, Bihor County, Romania. The study analyzes the technical aspects related to the establishment and early development of a black walnut (Juglans nigra) plantation, as well as the administrative and legislative framework that enabled the land-use conversion. The reconversion process was based on local council decisions adopted in accordance with the provisions of the Forest Code (Law No. 331/2024) and the Administrative Code (Government Emergency Ordinance No. 57/2019), which regulate property transfer and the management of local assets. The analysis focused on the survival rate and health condition of the planted seedlings, in correlation with the integration of the newly established stand into the existing forest fund. The results provide an applied perspective on how local administrative units can rehabilitate degraded lands through community afforestation projects, in line with the objectives of the European Green Deal and the European Union Forest Strategy 2030.