Pennsylvania DCNR unveils new climate action plan at Centre County conservation center

WPSU | By Sydney Roach

Published November 11, 2026 at 1:02 PM EST

Staff from Pennsylvania's Department of Natural Conservation and Natural Resources, along with other local and state agencies, unveiled the state's new climate action plan on Nov. 10, 2026 at the Mira Lloyd Dock Resource Conservation Center in Spring Mills.

Pennsylvania’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is unveiling a new climate action plan for the state, with varying deadlines for goals between 2030 and 2050.

Several DCNR officials spoke Tuesday at the Mira Lloyd Dock Resource Conservation Center, formerly known as Penn Nursery and Woodshop. It's a state-run tree nursery that conducts seed tests and has sent millions of trees to be planted across the state.

"We have to have a vibrant seedling nursery because we have to be planting the trees of the future," said Pennsylvania DCNR Secretary Cindy Dunn.

The Mira Lloyd Dock Resource Conservation Center, formerly known as Penn Nursery and Woodshop, is a state-owned and operated tree nursery near Spring Mills.

Dunn said one of the goals in the climate action plan is to plant more trees across Pennsylvania to mitigate flood risk and provide more shade. Another goal is to reduce carbon emissions created by the DCNR by switching 80% of their vehicles and certain equipment to electric or hybrid.

Dunn said the state is already seeing the effects of climate change.

“In the heavy deluge storms and early warm ups, followed by deep frost and flooding patterns. More extreme heat days creating danger in the urban areas, particularly," Dunn said.

A DCNR employee stands in front of a vat of acorns at the Mira Lloyd Dock Resource Conservation Center, a tree nursery that sends trees across the state. DCNR plans to plant more trees across the state, including in urban areas, to mitigate the effects of climate change.

Meredith Seltzer, the agency’s climate and sustainability director, said she worries how climate change will impact her 3-year-old son's future. Seltzer pointed to severe weather over this year's 4th of July weekend.

"Over 260,000 Pennsylvanians were without power, and widespread wind damage occurred after extreme storms and flooding swept through 64 of Pennsylvania's 67 counties," Seltzer said. "Then, dangerously unhealthy air quality forced everybody indoors in mid-July from Canadian wildfire smoke that came down into Pennsylvania."

Seltzer said DCNR is also planning ways to keep staff and visitors safe on state lands.

“The Bureau of State Parks has committed to updating all park emergency manuals by 2030, in anticipation of more frequent major storms impacting our recreational resources," Seltzer said.

DCNR published its first climate action plan in 2018. State officials said they did complete or make progress on many of those goals, such as completing the agency’s first greenhouse gas inventory.