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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  Open for Applications
    Allegheny  Open for Applications
    Armstrong  Open for Applications
    Beaver  Open for Applications
    Bedford  Open for Applications
    Berks  Waitlisting
    Blair  Open for Applications
    Bradford  Open for Applications
    Bucks  Open for Applications
    Butler  Open for Applications
    Cambria  Open for Applications
    Cameron  Open for Applications
    Carbon  Open for Applications
    Centre  Waitlisting
    Chester  Open for Applications
    Clarion  Open for Applications
    Clearfield  Waitlisting
    Clinton  Waitlisting
    Columbia  Open for Applications
    Crawford  Open for Applications
    Cumberland  Open for Applications
    Dauphin  Open for Applications
    Delaware  Open for Applications
    Elk  Open for Applications
    Erie  Waitlisting
    Fayette  Waitlisting
    Forest  Open for Applications
    Franklin  Open for Applications
    Fulton  Open for Applications
    Greene  Open for Applications
    Huntingdon  Open for Applications
    Indiana  Open for Applications
    Jefferson  Open for Applications
    Juniata  Open for Applications
    Lackawanna  Open for Applications
    Lancaster  Open for Applications
    Lawrence  Open for Applications
    Lebanon  Open for Applications
    Lehigh  Open for Applications
    Luzerne  Waitlisting
    Lycoming  Open for Applications
    McKean  Open for Applications
    Mercer  Waitlisting
    Mifflin  Waitlisting
    Monroe  Waitlisting
    Montgomery  Open for Applications
    Montour  Open for Applications
    Northampton  Open for Applications
    Northumberland  Open for Applications
    Perry  Open for Applications
    Philadelphia  Open for Applications
    Pike  Open for Applications
    Potter  Open for Applications
    Schuylkill  Open for Applications
    Snyder  Waitlisting
    Somerset  Open for Applications
    Sullivan  Open for Applications
    Susquehanna  Open for Applications
    Tioga  Open for Applications
    Union  Open for Applications
    Venango  Open for Applications
    Warren  Open for Applications
    Washington  Waitlisting
    Wayne  Open for Applications
    Westmoreland  Open for Applications
    Wyoming  Open for Applications
    York  Waitlisting