The main goal of the EU agro-environmental programmes implemented in Poland in 2001 is to protect the low-productive agricultural areas of high natural values. The main goal of the parallely introduced „Law on farmlands foreseen for afforestation" is to establish the forests on lands yielding low income. To avoid afforestation of particularly valuable open areas the synchronization of the both above mentioned documents and relevant activities is required. The priority should be given to the expert's studies supplementing management plans for rural areas in order to create optimal structure of the meadow-forest landscape. Forest should not be planted in habitats in which species composition is not adjusted to habitat conditions. Restoration of the original water conditions which reduces losses of the organic matter in soils is essential before afforestation operations are started. Identification of key habitats being of high significance for biological diversity prior to the afforestation seems to be crucial - as it was done for the non-forest habitats in the agro-environmental programmes. The genetic relationships between grasslands and forest habitats together with the variety of plant species and communities presented in the paper illustrate the complexity of the afforestation issue.