State Forest Resource Management Plan

The State Forest Resource Management Plan (PDF) is the primary instrument that DCNR’s Bureau of Forestry 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 State Forest Resource Management Plan lays the groundwork for ensuring the overarching goal of state forest management -- sustainability -- is achieved.

DCNR’s Bureau of Forestry developed its first written statewide forest management plan for Pennsylvania’s state forests in 1955. This plan was subsequently revised in 1970, 1985, 2003, 2007, and 2016.

The 2016 State Forest Resource Management Plan revision continues the agency’s ongoing adaptation to changing ecological, social, and economic conditions.

Public involvement is a critical component of the planning process. The bureau received comments from nearly 4,800 people during the four-month public comment period on the draft plan.

This critical input is reflected in the final 2016 plan, and a comment response document has been prepared to address the most common concerns and ideas received from the public.