The last remnant of the Codrii Vlăsiei, a large forest that once surrounded the town of Bucharest. Codrii Vlăsiei was the forest that once covered parts of southern Romania, including the territory of today's Bucharest and the surrounding Ilfov County. Snagov Forest is also a natural protected area by the Aria Naturala Protejata Lacul Snagov (ANPLS) with about 10 different hectares and preserves 20 different species. The thick forests were used by Romanians as a retreat during the age of migrations because they were not easy to cross on horseback. In fact, the name of the forest means "the Forests of Wallachia". Codrii means "forests" in the Romanian language, while Vlăsiei is the genitive form of Vlăsia, the Slavic denomination for Wallachia. Most of the forest was intact until the 19th century, when commerce involving cereals and wood began to develop in Wallachia and the forest was razed for the land to be used in agriculture. Of the old forests only a few small areas remain, mostly north of Bucharest, in localities such as Snagov, Pustnicul, Cernica, Romaneşti and Comana. Băneasa Forest, situated in the north of Bucharest, is in danger to be transformed in a park.