Overview
State parks and forests are for the enjoyment of all Pennsylvanians. They provide:
- Healthful recreation
- Scenic beauty
- Opportunities for sound ecosystem management
Society requires infrastructure like reliable sources of energy, water supply, and transportation routes.
Requests for rights-of-way on Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) lands are thoroughly reviewed and carefully administered by the department to minimize impacts to natural resources.
The department grants rights-of-way requests for projects that meet management objectives after a thorough review.
Additional resources:
- Application for Rights-of-Way (PDF)
- How to Apply for Rights-of-Way (PDF)
- Guidelines for Rights-of-Way Development on Pennsylvania State Forest Land (PDF)
- Landscape Prioritization and Treatment of Invasive Plants (PDF)
- Request for Access for Preliminary Rights-of-Way Exam (PDF)
- Guidelines for Administering Oil and Gas Projects on State Forest Land (PDF)
- Planting and Seeding Guidelines (PDF)
How to Apply for Rights-of-Way for State Parks and Forests
The process for application for rights-of-way project review includes:
- A formal request for rights-of-way through an application
- Pre-survey meeting to discuss initial concerns
- Field surveys for environmental factors
- Submission of the State Forest Environmental Review (PDF)
- Post-field survey meeting for follow-up discussion
- Rights-of-way agreement
- Pre-construction meeting to discuss specific issues
For DCNR to consider a rights-of-way project, applicants should submit the following as a formal request for rights-of-way:
- Detailed narrative of the project
- ArcGIS shapefile of the entire scope of the proposed project
- Pennsylvania Natural Diversity Inventory environmental review coordination letters outlined on the Pennsylvania Conservation Explorer website
- Application for Rights-of-Way (PDF).
Rights-of-Way for State Parks and Forests
The Conservation and Natural Resources Act gives DCNR the authority to grant rights-of-way through state forests for pipelines or transmission corridors when it will not adversely affect the land or interfere with usual administration and is in the interests of the Commonwealth to do so.
The Act also states that DCNR can grant rights-of-way through state parks for water and sewage lines.
DCNR's mission is to manage state forests for health, sustainability, and use.
DCNR takes a balanced approach to rights-of-way project requests. It weighs the pros and cons.
DCNR has methods to minimize rights-of-way impacts and ensure compatibility with our mission. They include:
- Joint review of project on state parks and forests
- Creation and updating of Oil and Gas Guidelines (PDF)
- Consideration of recreation and habitat needs.
- Creation of a landscape prioritization of invasive plant treatment (PDF) to streamline invasive plant control on state park and forest lands
DCNR has guidelines with siting criteria for all rights-of-way requests for state park and forest lands.
A clear need for the rights-of-way should be established and alternatives should be investigated.
Applicants should familiarize themselves with these criteria and demonstrate their consideration.
Some special protection areas exist. In them, rights-of-ways are mostly incompatible with DCNR’s management goals, including:
- Within wild areas, natural areas, and state parks
- Great geologic formations; sensitive habitats; and rare, threatened, or endangered species
- Water resources including wetlands and vernal pools
The criteria and procedures used by DCNR for rights-of-ways on state park and forest lands were developed in cooperation with agency partners and stakeholders.
Contact us
If you have questions about rights-of-way, contact the DCNR Bureau of Forestry.