Forest Fragmentation

Forests serve as a sanctuary to many plants and animals. Species often have specific ecosystem size requirements for health and propagation. Features such as transportation networks and utility right-of-ways form barriers that fragment the forest into smaller habitat blocks. This is an important concept in conservation theory because as habitats are reduced in size, and especially when they become bounded by uninhabitable zones, ecological viability and suitability for living species declines.

Today's photo, by by WPC Natural Heritage GIS Technician Brad Georgic, depicts a utility right-of-way near the Blair and Centre Counties line that has broken the forest into smaller patches. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are used to analyze where large unfragmented blocks currently exist and model impact of future development.

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