Environmental Land Use
RCLI=1.15
How does land use impact our environment?
The land in Routt 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 and ranch lands, the increase in density will affect the environmental conditions and “value of the view.” The index looks specifically at changes in farm and ranch land uses to measure this factor.
In accordance with Colorado state law, the minimum size for a farm or ranch that does not require review by the planning department is 35 acres. Therefore, there is a maximum percentage of such potential land fragmentation within each county. Using five-year Agricultural Census data, the index is measuring the increase in percentage towards a theoretical 100 percent fragmentation of farm and ranch. Lower numbers reflect less fragmentation of the landscape.