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Dryocosmus kuriphilus Yasumatsu, 1951 (Hymenoptera, Cynipidae) or Asian chestnut gall wasp, has been one of the most important pest insects on the chestnut tree (Castanea sativa) in the last 20 years in Europe. In Romania, it was observed since 2015 in the western part of the country, but the population was kept under control without a negative impact. After almost four years, a new presence of this species in Northeastern Romania was discovered in the most important area for Castanea sativa, The Chestnut Forest from Baia Mare which is a Natura 2000 protected area (Arboretele de castan comestibil de la Baia Mare, ROSCI0003) The distribution of the pest in this area is clustered (Moran's Index = 0.311) with a preference on eastern and western exposure and higher temperatures. The colonization in this area can be explained by the introduction of infested chestnut trees without the quarantine treatment. This study aims to present the distribution of D. kuriphilus, the level of infestation, and climatic preferences for suitable management of a future biological control program in Romania [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]