Question

Georgia is the fastest-growing state east of the Rockies. About 160,000 people move into the state each year. As more developments, businesses, and residences are built, land known as “green space” is lost. What is “green space”? How much do we have? Why is it a problem when a forested area is turned into condominiums, stores, or parking lots? How can we preserve some of the state’s green space without turning away citizens?

Answer 1

Forest fragmentation is the breaking of large, contiguous, forested areas into smaller pieces of forest; typically these pieces are separated by roads, agriculture, utility corridors, subdivisions, or other human development. It usually occurs incrementally, beginning with cleared patches here and there – think Swiss cheese – within an otherwise unbroken expanse of tree cover