PROJECT OVERVIEW
Numerous natural gas pipelines have been approved across Ohio and neighboring states with installation to continue over the next several years. These installations will collectively result in a large amount of soil disturbance in the state, but the effect of this disturbance on crop productivity, if any, is largely unknown.
We are conducting a study to better understand and manage the impacts of pipeline installations across the state with the following objectives:
1) Document the effects of pipeline installation on soil properties and crop productivity
2) Determine how long these effects persist
RESEARCH APPROACH
We will evaluate crop yields and soil properties over the installed pipeline and in an unaffected adjacent area, using yield maps, aerial imagery, and soil analyses.