21.75Sanitation
a)Washing in water outlets, springs, lakes or waterways is prohibited.
b)Discharging of trailer, camper or motor home sewage, sink water or bath water on or into ground or surface waters is prohibited.
21.76Feeding of Wildlife.
a)Feeding of wildlife, except for elevated songbird feeders of less than one-half bushel capacity, is prohibited on State Forest land from 30 days prior to the beginning of spring gobbler season through the end of flintlock muzzleloader deer season.
b)Placing of wildlife feeders of more than one-half bushel combined capacity on State Forest land without the authorization of the District Forester or designee, is prohibited.
21.77Commercial Activity. Selling distributing, delivering, servicing, guiding or renting any equipment, material or commodity or otherwise engaging in commercial activity on State Forest land without written authorization of the District Forester or a designee is prohibited.
21.78Group activities. Group activities are prohibited without written authorization of the District Forester or a designee.
21.79Structures. Building or erecting a structure or memorial, or engaging in construction or excavation activity, without written authorization of the Department is prohibited.
21.80Trespass.
a)A person who violates this chapter or disregards instructions or warnings given by a State Forest officer or interferes with a State Forest officer in the performance of the duties of the officer may be ordered to leave State Forest land.
b)A person, who refuses to leave State Forest land, after receiving an order to leave from a State Forest officer, commits an act of criminal trespass under 18 Pa.C.S. 3503(b) (relating to criminal trespass).
January/1999
RULES AND REGULATIONS
TITLE 17 PENNSYLVANIA CODE PART 1
DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES
SUBPART C. STATE FORESTS
CHAPTER 21. GENERAL PROVISIONS
Authority
The provisions of this Chapter 21 issued under Section 313 of the Conservation and Natural Resources Act (71 P.S. 1340.313); and the Crimes Code, 18 Pa.C.S. 7505 and 7506, unless otherwise noted.
PRELIMINARY PROVISIONS
21.1Definitions. The following words and terms, when used in this chapter, have the following meanings, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
Camping – Overnight lodging using standard camping equipment.
Commercial activity – an activity in which a person, organization or association directly or indirectly accepts consideration of value as compensation for the provision of goods or services, including transportation.
Direct Forester – the Department’s Bureau of Forestry employee so designated.
Group activity – An organized activity occurring as a scheduled event and requiring a large land area or unique land formation and which may conflict with normal or traditional uses or pose a potential environmental problem.
State Forest land – Land which is owned or leased by the Commonwealth and which is administered by the Bureau of Forestry.
21.2Scope. This chapter applies to State Forest land.
21.3Violations.
a)A person is guilty of a summary offense under 18 PA.C.S. 7505 (relating to violation of governmental rules regarding traffic) if that person commits an act which is prohibited by 21.21 (relating to motor vehicles).
b)A person is guilty of a summary offense under 18 Pa.C.S. 7506 (relating to violation of rules regarding conduct on Commonwealth property) if that person commits an act which is prohibited by this chapter other than those in subsection (a).
21.4Closure.
a)Areas or portions of a State Forest or State Forest facilities may be closed or restricted to certain uses by the District Forester or a designee.
b)The public will be informed of the closed or restricted area or facilities by any form of communication, which may include posted signs, or by fencing or other enclosure manifestly destined to exclude intruders.
c)Violation of the closure or restriction notices under subsection (b) is prohibited.
21.13Motorized boats. Only electric motors may be used for propulsion of motorized watercraft.
MOTORIZED VEHICLES
21.21Motor vehicles.
a)This section pertains to motor vehicles other than those in 21.22, 21.23 and 21.23a (relating to snowmobiles; trail bikes and other motorized off-road vehicles; and all-terrain vehicles)
b)Operation of motor vehicles on State Forest land in the following manners is prohibited:
1.Operation of a motor vehicle in careless disregard for the safety of persons or property, or in excess of posted speed limits or, where no speed limit is posted, in excess of 25 miles per hour.
2.Driving on roads, trails or other areas not specifically designated and posted for motor vehicle traffic unless authorize din writing by the District Forester or a designee.
3.The use of State Forest roads for commercial purposes without a road use agreement from the Department. An individual or corporation whose property adjoins State Forest land is not required to obtain a road use agreement to use State Forest roads for incidental commercial purposes to make deliveries to the property.
4.Operating unlicensed, unregistered or uninspected motor vehicles on State Forest land.
21.23Trail bikes and other motorized off-road vehicles.
This section pertains to motorized off-road vehicles other than those addressed in 21.22 and 21.23a (relating to snowmobiles; and all-terrain vehicles)
a)Trail bikes and other motorized off-road vehicles may be operated only on roads, trails or other areas that have been specifically designed and posted for their use.
b)Trail bikes and other motorized off-road vehicles may be operated only during the times of year authorized by the Department’s Bureau of Forestry by posted signs.
21.24Spark arrestors.
Operation of any motorized vehicle, all-terrain vehicle, trail bike or other motorized off-road vehicle in, on or through State Forest land without a fully functional spark arrester is prohibited.
21.25Parking.
a)Parking a motor vehicle, all-terrain vehicle, snowmobile, trail bike, other motorized off-road vehicle, boat trailer, camp trailer, or other equipment which obstructs a gate, road, trail, footpath, bicycle path, access way, drinking fountain, entrance, exit or road turnaround on State Forest land is prohibited.
b)A person may not park a vehicle in a parking area on State Forest land designated for handicapped persons, unless the vehicle bears a handicapped or severely disabled veteran registration plate or displays a handicapped or severely disabled veteran parking placard, in accordance with 75 Pa.C.S 1338 (relating to handicapped plate and placard), and the vehicle is operated by or for the transportation of a handicapped person or a severely disabled veteran.
c)Violations of the section will be handled as follows:
1.)Prior to the filing of a citation charging a summary offense under this section, the Department may issue a parking ticket, which will be handed to the violator or placed on the windshield of the violator’s vehicle. The violator may avoid criminal proceedings by paying a fine to the Department, equivalent to the maximum fine as provided in 18 Pa.C.S. 7505 (relating to violation of governmental rules regarding traffic), within 5 days of the violation in the manner specified on the ticket.
2.)When a parking ticket has been issued, the Department may institute criminal proceedings only upon failure of the violator to pay the fine in accordance with the time limit specified in paragraph (1) and in the manner specified on the ticket.
3.)When a parking ticket has not been issued, the Department ma institute criminal proceedings by issuing a citation.
FOREST PRODUCTS
21.31Prohibitions. The following activities are prohibited:
a)Cutting, picking, digging, damaging or removing, in whole or in part, a living or dead plant, vine, shrub, tree or flower on State Forest land without written authorization of the District Forester or designee, except that edible wild plants or plant parts may be gathered without authorization if they are gathered for one’s own personal or family consumption. Dead and down wood for small campfires may be gathered without prior authorization.
b)Removing rocks, shale, sand, clay, soil or other mineral products from State Forest land without written authorization of the District Forester or a designee.
c)Removing peat, sawdust, bark, mulch or other products from State Forest land without written authorization of the District Forester or a designee.
d)Removing or disturbing historical or archeological resources from State Forest land without written authorization of the District Forester or a designee.
e)Planting a tree, shrub or plant of nay kind without the written authorization of the District Forester or a designee.