Careful planning and reforestation efforts could reduce the effects of pipelines, wind turbines and other human activity, scientists said.

WSJ: Northeast drilling boom threatens forest wildlife

The Index also showed that although fuel-cell technologies remained the hottest of the hot spots in cleantech IP development, solar technologies received more attention than wind power in terms of overall patenting activity in 2010.

FORBES: U.S. Clean-Energy Patents Explode in 2010

Likewise, trying to build a link with wind generation, supplying power for turbines' down times, has not sparked much activity.

BBC: Scottish independence: Fjords flowing with funds

"What we are worried about is that while we have sustainable activity going on, we are seeing some losses of forests to things like wind farms, " he added.

BBC: Scottish timber harvesting at record high