While most of the attention on the impacts of fracking has focused on things like drinking water, air pollution and earthquakes, state regulators in Pennsylvania are working on another less-discussed, but no less serious, side effect of oil and gas development: forest fragmentation.

That's what happens when things like well pads, roads, and pipelines crisscross the landscape carving up large swaths of forest into smaller pieces. As Marie Cusick of WITF in Harrisburg reports, foresters are trying to help gas companies figure out the best ways to clean up after themselves.

Reporter

  • Marie Cusick, reporter for WITF and StateImpact Pennsylvania, a public media reporting project focusing on Pennsylvania's energy economy. She tweets @MarieCusick.
Copyright 2015 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.

300x250 Ad

Support quality journalism, like the story above, with your gift right now.

Donate