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State Forest Management

DCNR’s Bureau of Forestry works to ensure the long-term health, viability, and productivity of the commonwealth’s 2.2 million acre state forest system, which comprises 13 percent of the forested area in the commonwealth.

Under sound ecosystem management, state forests are conserved to retain their wild character and maintain biological diversity while providing:

Pure water

Opportunities for low-density recreation

Habitats for forest plants and animals

Sustained yields of quality timber

Environmentally sound utilization of mineral resources

Management of Pennsylvania state forests is guided by:

The State Forest Resource Management Plan

Penn's Woods -- the DCNR Bureau of Forestry’s Strategic Plan

The Pennsylvnia Forest Action Plan

State Forest Resource Management Plan

The State Forest Resource Management Plan is the primary instrument that DCNR uses to plan, coordinate, and communicate its management of the state forest system.

By relating the broad policies of the bureau’s strategic plan to focused goals and objectives and specific operational guidelines, the plan lays the groundwork for ensuring the overarching goal of state forest management -- sustainability -- is achieved.

Penn’s Woods Strategic Plan

The condition of Pennsylvania’s forests is the best it has been in more than 100 years. They are an asset to our citizens and essential to our economy and quality of life. Despite this promising assessment, there are many issues facing our forests.

As we move toward a new century, it is time to take stock of our resources and face the issues that will be affecting the long-term health and productivity of our forests. These issues have been addressed in this plan in a manner that should sustain Penn’s Woods for generations yet to come.

Pennsylvania Forest Action Plan

The Pennsylvania Forest Action Plan takes an in depth look at the state’s forest resources and was completed as a requirement for the U.S. Farm Bill.

It is separated into two parts:

The current assessment of the forest

Strategies to implement the plan

The action plan:

Describes current forest conditions and trends

Indentifies priority issues

Delineates important landscapes

Proposes long-term strategies for achieving sustainability

State Forest Dual Certification

DCNR’s Bureau of Forestry is committed to sustainably managing state forests in accordance with or exceeding FSC® and SFI® standards.

Pennsylvania state forests are certified (FSC® and SFI®) by Scientific Certification Systems under the Forest Stewardship Council™ and Sustainable Forestry Initiative™ standards.