Assessing Land Use Changes Due to Natural Gas Drilling Operations in the Marcellus Shale in Bradford County, PA

Extraction of natural gas from the Marcellus Shale formation began in the mid-2000s, and well pads and their associated infrastructure are now prominent fixtures throughout the Appalachian region. However, there is currently little research available to provide insight into its implications for land use and land cover change. In this case study of Bradford County, Pennsylvania, we used high-resolution aerial photography, land cover data, and well point data to quantify current and potential land use change as a result of gas drilling, as well as the types of land cover to be converted. Based on the number of permits held as of October 2011, we estimate that 276.84 hectares of primarily agricultural land have been cleared for well pads, access roads, and impoundment ponds in Bradford County. If all permitted wells are developed, we estimate between 620.60 and 3,983.50 hectares of additional land use change could occur.