Comment and Protest of Allegheny Defense Project under CP14-112

Landscape Consequences of Natural Gas Extraction in Bradford and Washington Counties, Pennsylvania, 20042010 By E.T. Slonecker, L.E. Milheim, C.M. Roig-Silva, A.R. Malizia, D.A. Marr, and G.B. Fisher Open-File Report 20121154 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Department of the Interior KEN SALAZAR, Secretary U.S. Geological Survey Marcia K. McNutt, Director U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2012 For more information on the USGSthe Federal source for science about the Earth, its natural and living resources, natural hazards, and the environmentvisit http://www.usgs.gov or call 1888ASKUSGS For an overview of USGS information products, including maps, imagery, and publications, visit http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod To order this and other USGS information products, visit http://store.usgs.gov Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. Although this information product, for the most part, is in the public domain, it also may contain copyrighted materials as noted in the text. Permission to reproduce copyrighted items must be secured from the copyright owner. Suggested citation: Slonecker, E.T., Milheim, L.E., Roig-Silva, C.M., Malizia, A.R., Marr, D.A., and Fisher, G.B., 2012, Landscape consequences of natural gas extraction in Bradford and Washington Counties, Pennsylvania, 20042010: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 20121154, 36 p. Contents Abstract ......................................................................................................................................................................... 1 Introduction: Natural Gas Extraction .............................................................................................................................. 1 Location ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4 The Biogeography of Pennsylvania Forests............................................................................................................... 4 Key Research Questions ........................................................................................................................................... 6 Landscape Metrics and a Landscape Perspective......................................................................................................... 7 Disturbance ................................................................................................................................................................ 8 Forest Fragmentation ................................................................................................................................................. 9 Interior Forest ........................................................................................................................................................... 10 Forest Edge ...........................