The Măgurele Forest (owned by SA France Valley Revenu Europe) is located a short distance from Ploiești, the ninth-largest Romanian city by population, 50 km north of Bucharest. The location, on the foothills of the Carpathians, means the area has an overall hilly terrain featuring steep slopes in places. The climate is temperate continental, characterised by high temperature amplitudes between winter and summer that do not benefit from oceanic influences. Rainfall may seem limited at first glance, although it is quite substantially offset by the soil’s ability to retain water given its abyssal depth. The majority of the plots offer very substantially capitalised oak clusters with a considerable volume of 265 m3/ha, due to more than conservative past management.