Accomplishments
Key PFPA Legislative and Regulatory Accomplishments
A History
Resources to Promote and Educate
PFPA works hand-in-hand with the Hardwoods Development Council and the three Hardwood Utilization Groups to ensure robust educational and outreach programs educate the general public about the benefits of forest management and the superiority of real hardwoodwood products. PFPA successfully advocated for an investment in these programs in the 2023-24 state budget and continues to provide leadership as a founding member of the national Real American Hardwood Coalition.
Protecting Sawmills
PFPA supported the enactment of legislation that declared sawmills and their operations as “normal agricultural equipment and activities” which are consequently protected from nuisance suits and ordinances under certain circumstances.
Reducing Red Tape
PFPA negotiated modifications to General Permit 7 (Permanent Road Crossings) and General Permit 8 (Temporary Road Crossings), which enable the industry to cross wetlands and streams without an extensive permitting process.
Protecting the Right to Practice Forestry
PFPA obtained language in the rewriting of the Municipalities Planning Code (MPC) to clarify and strengthen the existing “right to practice forestry.” The measure prevents municipalities from prohibiting forestry in any actions taken to preserve or conserve open space or other natural resources and establishes forestry as a permitted use throughout the state.
PFPA helped develop reasonable revisions to the Timber Trespass Act enacted in 2001.
Protecting Landowners' Rights to Sustainably Manage Land with Easements
PFPA won changes to legislation establishing uniform law governing the definition and legal standing of conservation and preservation easements to expressly recognize that private landowners may enter into easements that continue to preserve their rights to manage and use natural resources on their property.
Growing Greener
PFPA worked to amend a major piece of environmental legislation to prevent recipients of “Growing Greener” grant funds from purchasing land and, directly or indirectly, prohibiting or restricting commercial timber production.
Passage of Legislation
PFPA secured passage of legislation to improve local government road posting and bonding practices and hold local governments accountable for deviating from PennDOT’s road posting and bonding regulations.
In partnership with the Senate and House members of the Joint Legislative Conservation Committees’ Forestry Task Force, PFPA secured passage of legislation that will direct up to five percent of the Bureau of Forestry’s Annual Timber sale receipts toward long-term forestry research activities.
Recognizes Wood as Alternative Energy
PFPA ensured that Pennsylvania’s alternative energy portfolio standard law recognizes the use of wood mill residuals and low-grade timber for electric generation. We continue actively working to oppose legislation that would diminish the standing of this renewable, carbon-neutral energy source in the marketplace.
PFPA secured enactment of revisions to Pennsylvania’s Clean and Green Program, which ensure that forest landowners enrolled in the program are allowed to lease their land for hunting and other non-motorized recreation without risk of losing their preferential tax assessment or being penalized with rollback taxes.
PFPA has worked with DEP to revise and promote voluntary BMP’s as a reasonable and effective alternative to additional regulation of timber harvesting activities. PFPA successfully advocated for DEP's publication of a new Best Management Practices manual in July 2023.
In 2005, PFPA supported legislation that became the ACRE law and provides a more streamlined adjudication process for legal disputes between farmers and townships over the legality of local ordinances seeking to regulate agricultural operations. The statute’s definition of normal agricultural operations includes forestry and timber harvesting.
PFPA participated in a successful legislative effort that amended the state Public School Code to expand green building subsidies in a way which allows for greater utilization of wood.
PFPA was instrumental in winning enactment of a law tripling the state Payment in-Lieu of Taxes (PILT) on state forest, park and gamelands that are made to local governments. This PILT increase provides additional revenue to some of the state’s most rural communities and helps ease the pressure on property taxes in these communities.
PFPA successfully secured a provision that would address the rising fees for E&S plan reviews charged by some county conservation districts. The new law gives the State Conservation Board the authority to review fees to ensure that they are reasonable in relation to the scope of service.