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How does land use impact our environment?
The land in a county is valued both economically and environmentally. A concern is that as more building occurs in rural areas, with specific regard to fragmentation of farm/ranch land, the increase in density will affect the environmental conditions and "value of the view." The Index looks specifically at changes in farm/ranch land use to measures this factor. The Index is measuring the increase in percentage toward a theoretical 100% fragmentation of farm/ranch lands. The lower numbers reflect less fragmentation of the landscape.

General Observations:
Chaffee County is the most fragmented county. Chaffee County has seen the fastest rate of change since the baseline was established in 2007 and is the most fragmented. San Miguel County is the least fragmented. Gunnison County is experiencing the slowest rate of fragmentation.
Routt County Observations:
Routt County ranks 6th with 7% of its agricultural land fragmented. Routt County has ranked 6th for the past three reporting periods. Since the baseline period, Routt County rate of fragmentation has been occurring at the 3rd fastest rate.