Enhancing Pollinator Habitats: The Role of Reclaimed Natural Gas Pipeline Rights-of-Way in the Appalachian Region

Shawn T. Grushecky¹, Samuel C. Knopka^1,2, Sheldon F. Owen³, and John W. Edwards^1,*

¹Department of Biology, Memorial University, St. John’s, NL A1C 5S7, Canada.²Current Address - US Forest Service, Mark Twain National Forest, 401 Fairgrounds Road, Rolla, MO 65401. ³West Virginia University, Extension Service, 1145 Evansdale Drive, Morgantown, WV 26506. *Corresponding author.

Northeastern Naturalist, Volume 32, Issue 1 (2025): 127–141

First published early online: 29 March 2025

Abstract
The decline of pollinators globally has been linked to habitat loss, pollution, and the use of herbicides and pesticides in agriculture. In the Appalachian Region of the US, forest maturation has resulted in fewer areas of early successional and young-forest habitat, which serve as important habitats for pollinators. Although powerline corridors have been shown to support pollinator populations, we investigated whether natural gas pipeline rights-of-way (ROW) could serve a similar ecological function. Our study assessed butterfly richness and density and bee species density across natural gas ROW varying in age, width, and vegetative composition. We discovered that the percentage of flowering plants on reclaimed ROW was the strongest predictor of butterfly richness and both bee and butterfly density. These findings indicate that reclaimed ROW can significantly enhance pollinator habitats, particularly when reclaimed with a diverse mixture of native flowering plants rather than a grass monoculture. Our research underscores the importance of prioritizing flower density in reclamation practices to support pollinator populations effectively.

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