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    Apply for the PA Woodland Resilience Enhancement Network

    The PA Woodland Resilience Enhancement Network (PRWEN) offers reimbursements of up to $25,000 to landowners who take steps to improve the health and resilience of their forests. The goal is to help forests better handle threats like pests, diseases, and climate change.

    Contact Your Local Service Forester (PDF)
    View Enrollment Status by County

    Overview

    PWREN is a program that helps woodland owners take care of their forests. It provides funding to cover most of the cost of creating a forest management plan and carrying out practices that make woodlands healthier, stronger, and more valuable. The program is run by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay.

    Who Can Apply?

    You may qualify if you:

    • Own at least 10 acres of connected forest in Pennsylvania
    • Own no more than 2,500 acres total
    • Are a non-industrial landowner (not a company managing land for timber production)

    How Does the Cost-Share Work?

    PWREN reimburses 80%–100% of the cost of approved practices, up to $25,000:

    • 100% for Historically Underserved Landowners:
      • Veterans discharged in the last 10 years
      • Landowners who have owned their woods for less than 10 years
      • Members of federally recognized tribes
      • Landowners in high-poverty areas
      • Landowners who self-identify as limited-resource producers (based on USDA tools)
    • 90% for landowners in or joining a Woodland Stewardship Network
    • 80% for all other eligible landowners

    (For Historically Underserved Landowners, payments go directly to the approved forestry professional doing the work.)

    What Activities Are Covered?

    In addition to covering the cost of writing a practice plan, PWREN can help pay for:

    • Managing brush or weeds
    • Improving forest stands
    • Releasing crop trees (helping the best trees grow)
    • Treating invasive pests
    • Planting extra trees or shrubs
    • Forest farming projects
    • Seeding herbaceous cover
    • Agroforestry plantings (up to $5,000, not available as the first practice reimbursed)

    How to Apply

    1. 1

      Contact Your County Service Forester.

      Find the DCNR Service Forester in your county (PDF). They’ll visit your property, walk the woods with you, and help you start an application.

    2. 2

      Application Review

      Your application will be reviewed to make sure you qualify. If it’s approved, you’ll move on to the next step.

    3. 3

      Sign a Landowner Agreement

      A PWREN project coordinator will reach out to help you sign a simple agreement. This confirms you’re joining the program.

    4. 4

      Connect With a Forestry Professional

      The coordinator will help you find a Technical Service Provider or Consulting Forester. They’ll write a forest practice plan and carry out approved work on your property.

    5. 5

      Complete the Work

      The forestry professional does the work outlined in your plan, such as planting trees, managing brush, or improving forest stands.

    6. 6

      Submit Your Receipts

      When the work is finished, send your receipts and documentation to the PWREN project coordinator.

    7. 7

      Receive Your Reimbursement

      After your paperwork is approved, you’ll get a reimbursement check covering 80%–100% of your costs (depending on your eligibility).

    Enrollment Status by County

    The PWREN program provides an updated county-by-county map and list showing each county’s enrollment status — whether it’s still open for applications, only accepting historically underserved applicants, or full and placing new applicants on a waitlist.

    View the PWREN Enrollment Map
    Pennsylvania Woodland Resilience Enhancement Network Enrollment Status by County
    County Enrollment Status
    Adams  Waitlisting    
    Allegheny  Waitlisting
    Armstrong  Waitlisting
    Beaver  Waitlisting
    Bedford  Waitlisting
    Berks  Waitlisting
    Blair  Waitlisting
    Bradford  Waitlisting
    Bucks  Waitlisting
    Butler  Waitlisting
    Cambria  Waitlisting
    Cameron  Waitlisting
    Carbon  Waitlisting
    Centre  Waitlisting
    Chester  Waitlisting
    Clarion  Waitlisting
    Clearfield  Waitlisting
    Clinton  Waitlisting
    Columbia  Waitlisting
    Crawford  Waitlisting
    Cumberland  Waitlisting
    Dauphin  Waitlisting
    Delaware  Waitlisting
    Elk  Waitlisting
    Erie  Waitlisting
    Fayette  Waitlisting
    Forest  Waitlisting
    Franklin  Waitlisting
    Fulton  Waitlisting
    Greene  Waitlisting
    Huntingdon  Waitlisting
    Indiana  Waitlisting
    Jefferson  Waitlisting
    Juniata  Waitlisting
    Lackawanna  Waitlisting
    Lancaster  Waitlisting
    Lawrence  Waitlisting
    Lebanon  Waitlisting
    Lehigh  Waitlisting
    Luzerne  Waitlisting
    Lycoming  Waitlisting
    McKean  Waitlisting
    Mercer  Waitlisting
    Mifflin  Waitlisting
    Monroe  Waitlisting
    Montgomery  Waitlisting
    Montour  Waitlisting
    Northampton  Waitlisting
    Northumberland  Waitlisting
    Perry  Waitlisting
    Philadelphia  Waitlisting
    Pike  Waitlisting
    Potter  Waitlisting
    Schuylkill  Waitlisting
    Snyder  Waitlisting
    Somerset  Waitlisting
    Sullivan  Waitlisting
    Susquehanna  Waitlisting
    Tioga  Waitlisting
    Union  Waitlisting
    Venango  Waitlisting
    Warren  Waitlisting
    Washington  Waitlisting
    Wayne  Waitlisting
    Westmoreland  Waitlisting
    Wyoming  Waitlisting
    York  Waitlisting