Protecting Pennsylvania’s Appalachian Forests
Safeguarding one of the most resilient, diverse and carbon‑rich landscapes in the world—together.
Stretching more than 2,000 miles from Alabama to Canada, the Appalachian Mountains are one of the most biologically rich and climate-resilient landscapes on Earth.
In Pennsylvania, Appalachian forests protect drinking water for millions of people, store vast amounts of carbon and provide critical habitat for wildlife responding to climate change. More than 22 million people call the Appalachian region home, and countless communities depend on these forests for clean air, outdoor recreation and local livelihoods.
Yet despite their global importance, only 26% of the Appalachian landscape is currently protected. Ongoing threats from urban development, mining, unsustainable forestry and climate change are fragmenting forests and pushing plants and animals to move to cooler, higher and more connected places. Protecting more of this landscape—now—is essential to ensuring the Appalachians remain a refuge for nature and people in a changing climate.
How The Nature Conservancy Is Protecting Appalachian Forests in Pennsylvania
In Pennsylvania, TNC continues to work with partners on strategic land protection efforts to conserve migratory pathways and areas of high biodiversity, particularly along the Kittatinny Ridge at our Hamer Woodlands at Cove Mountain preserve and along the Allegheny Front.
Our conservation strategy in the Appalachians takes a three‑pronged approach: protection, restoration and improved forest management. Science guides our efforts toward lands that create climate‑resilient corridors, helping wildlife move and adapt as conditions change.
Restoring Degraded Forests for People and Wildlife
We work with partners and volunteers to restore the lands and waters that are critical to people and nature. Across our dozens of nature preserves and other land holdings in the Appalachians, TNC implements best management practices that improve ecological conditions while serving as demonstration sites for public and private landowners we hope will adopt similar approaches.
Kittatinny Ridge
A critical wildlife corridor helping Appalachian species move, adapt and survive in a warming world.
The Kittatinny Ridge is one of Pennsylvania’s most important wildlife corridors and a cornerstone of climate adaptation in the Appalachian Mountains. Part of an unbroken chain of forested mountains, it forms a vital link in the 1,500‑mile‑long Appalachian Mountain Range. Its rugged topography and varied elevations make it one of the most diverse habitats on Earth.
Identified as the most resilient landscape in the state for adapting to climate change, this forested corridor provides a biodiversity superhighway that allows wildlife to move safely between climate‑resilient areas in response to rising temperatures, flooding and drought. Scientists have identified the Kittatinny Ridge as critical to the future of hundreds of bird and wildlife species.
To safeguard this largely intact corridor, TNC works with landowners and partners to protect connected lands on and adjacent to the ridge.
Building a Connected & Climate‑Resilient Kittatinny Ridge
Discover how The Nature Conservancy is protecting and reconnecting one of Pennsylvania’s most important wildlife corridors, helping forests, birds and animals move and adapt in a changing climate.
Explore the Kittatinny RidgeHamer Woodlands at Cove Mountain
Protecting a globally significant migratory pathway while strengthening Pennsylvania’s climate resilience.
Protecting The Hamer Woodlands at Cove Mountain supports local communities whose economies depend on outdoor recreation, clean water and healthy forests.
This 1,379‑acre preserve in Perry County is a globally recognized southwest‑to‑northeast migratory corridor for species movement. It helps fill a major gap between existing conservation lands, creating a 14‑mile stretch of protected forest along the Kittatinny Ridge.
Since acquiring the property, The Nature Conservancy has developed and implemented a forest management plan to improve ecological conditions and ensure this connected chain of forests remains one of Pennsylvania’s most important landscapes for climate adaptation.
Protecting a Key Migratory Corridor at Cove Mountain
Learn how protection and forest management at Hamer Woodlands at Cove Mountain are strengthening climate resilience, supporting wildlife movement and benefiting local communities in central Pennsylvania.
Explore Cove MountainAllegheny Front
A forested bridge connecting conserved lands and providing refuge for rare and threatened species.
The Appalachian range includes several distinct sub‑geographies, including the Allegheny Front, which stretches from eastern West Virginia through western Maryland and into central Pennsylvania.
The Allegheny Front is home to a wide array of rare and threatened species, offering refuge as climate change drives plants and animals to move and adapt. By serving as a habitat bridge between conserved lands, this forested landscape plays a critical role in maintaining connectivity across the broader Appalachian ecosystem.
The Allegheny Front also provides clean water, healthy forests and outdoor recreation for millions of people. Only a small portion of this essential landscape is currently protected. Acting now is critical to safeguarding this irreplaceable natural treasure for future generations.
Working Woodlands
Helping Pennsylvania landowners keep forests healthy, productive and resilient for generations to come.
.jpg?crop=0%2C0%2C3008%2C1999&wid=1420&hei=944&scl=2.1183098591549294)
Working Woodlands helps Pennsylvania landowners protect their forests while keeping them productive and profitable.
Landowners who enroll in TNC’s Working Woodlands program develop a forest management plan designed to create diverse, native ecosystems that can withstand current and future forest threats intensified by a changing climate.
Once a management plan is in place, landowners can manage their forests according to their goals. This may include commercial timber sales, when desired and conducted sustainably. TNC staff support landowners by offering management guidance, connecting them with resources and providing third‑party forest certification.
In Pennsylvania, where much of today’s forest was clear‑cut within the past 150 years, long‑term protection through Working Woodlands easements plays a critical role in ensuring forests remain healthy for future generations.
Working Woodlands is based on a simple principle. Landowners agree to keep enrolled acres in a healthy forested state. In return, they benefit from assistance with improving the value and the diversity of their forest.
Woodlands at Work in Central Pennsylvania
For decades, the Borough of Duncannon, located just outside Harrisburg, harvested timber on its 1,620‑acre forested property to support the local community. The land also includes popular hiking destinations, such as the Hawk Rock Overlook on the Appalachian Trail.
Over time, invasive species like striped maple, mile‑a‑minute vine and tree‑of‑heaven replaced native trees, leaving the forest degraded and less resilient.
TNC partnered with the Borough to enroll the property in the Working Woodlands program, with the goal of restoring a diverse, climate‑resilient native forest. Together with a local consulting forester, we developed a management plan and secured grant funding to control invasive species and improve long‑term forest health.
Pennsylvania Guidelines: Enrolling in the Working Woodlands Program
The Working Woodlands program requires a minimum of 2,000 forested acres in Pennsylvania. To learn more about enrolling your property in Working Woodlands, contact: Ben Chase, Conservation Forester at Ben.chase@tnc.org.
The Family Forest Carbon Program
Empowering family forest owners to fight climate change while improving forest health and income.
The Family Forest Carbon Program (FFCP) is a partnership between the American Forest Foundation and The Nature Conservancy, working with agencies, businesses and America’s 21 million family forest owners to address climate change at scale.
Family forest owners who manage 39% of forests in the United States play a vital role in carbon sequestration. Yet many are unable to participate in carbon markets due to high costs, limited technical support and complex requirements.
The FFCP incentivizes proven forest management practices that increase carbon storage, improve forest health and provide additional benefits such as wildlife habitat and improved water quality. These practices result in carbon sequestration measured and reported at the landscape scale.
How the Family Forest Carbon Program Works
The FFCP removes one of the biggest barriers to sustainable forest management: high up-front costs. The program provides professional guidance and technical assistance to help landowners implement climate‑smart forestry practices.
It further reduces barriers by lowering traditionally high transaction costs. By monitoring forest management practices rather than continually measuring carbon on every individual parcel, the program reduces costs to landowners by at least 75%.
Through this approach, family forest owners with 30 to 2,400 acres can access new income opportunities while contributing to national climate mitigation goals. The program produces scientifically credible carbon claims and delivers meaningful co‑benefits for ecosystems and communities.
How to Get Involved
The Family Forest Carbon Program offers family forest owners the opportunity to care for their land, strengthen forest resilience and get paid for climate‑smart management practices. By expanding access to carbon markets, the program supports local economies, healthier forests and global climate solutions.
Check your property’s eligibility for the Family Forest Carbon Program.
Get Paid to Improve Forest Health
The Family Forest Carbon Program helps private forest owners access carbon markets, improve forest health and earn income through climate‑smart forest management practices.
Explore the ProgramDownload
-
Appalachians Program OverviewLearn how the Appalachians provide opportunities to tackle the intertwined climate and biodiversity crises.
Download -
Working Woodlands Program OverviewFind out how the Working Woodlands program helps Pennsylvania landowners manage forests sustainably, keeping them healthy.
Download
Think Global, Act Local
Get global conservation news & the latest on local opportunities & projects.
