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    Climate and Sustainability Action

    DCNR Climate Action Plan

    DCNR is already seeing how climate change is affecting the state’s natural resources, outdoor recreation, and other important parts of its work. In response, the agency will release its second climate action plan that sets measurable goals to cut greenhouse gas emissions and prepare each bureau of the department for current and future climate impacts in 2026.

    In 2018, DCNR was the first Commonwealth of Pennsylvania agency to release a departmental Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Plan. Developed with the U.S. Forest Service Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science (NIACS), the 2018 plan outlines the agency’s vulnerabilities to climate change and 123 action steps to improve resilience to the potential impacts from a changing climate.  

    DCNR is currently developing an updated and expanded Climate Action Plan (CAP) that prioritizes measurable actions to 1) mitigate for greenhouse gas emissions through a commitment to sustainable energy consumption, nature-based carbon sequestration and carbon research, and 2) adapt to climate change with climate-ready infrastructure, resilient natural resources, sustainable and accessible outdoor recreation, and community resilience resources and support. 

    The CAP, to be released in 2026, includes:

    • regional climate projections for Pennsylvania, 
    • an agency climate risk assessment and expected impacts, 
    • an account of DCNR’s carbon footprint, including the agency’s first greenhouse gas inventory,
    • adaptation and mitigation strategies to meet measurable goals, 
    • climate-resilient and carbon-rich forest management guidance, 
    • carbon capture utilization and storage research, and
    • emerging technologies and future opportunities.

    DCNR has an important role to play in mitigating climate change and adapting to its impacts. As the state’s primary conservation agency, caretaker of 2.2 million acres of state forest and 125 state parks, leader in carbon storage and geologic hazards research, and grantor of over $50 million annually in conservation and outdoor recreation funding, DCNR has a unique role and responsibility in climate action. To guide this work, DCNR uses several key plans and resources: