Colorado's Forest Legacy

Each individual roadless area in Colorado is vital to the wildlife, economy, water quality, and overall vitality of Colorado’s landscape. In addition, they serve as wildlife linkages that connect larger blocks of core habitat, providing food and shelter as animals migrate between seasonal habitat areas or disperse from their natal territories. For this reason, roadless areas that provide core habitats and linkages throughout Colorado must remain protected, intact, and connected in order to provide these critical resources to Colorado’s wildlife. (1)

The Importance of Keeping Habitat Connected
Roadless areas that are adjacent to each other and adjacent to other protected habitats – such as Wilderness areas and wildlife refuges – play a vital role in providing connected ecosystems and habitat for wildlife in Colorado. Preventing isolation by protecting connections between major habitat blocks and wild protected areas is crucial to maintaining the health of native wildlife populations. (2)

Habitat Fragmentation
Habitat fragmentation is a serious threat to wildlife. Highways, roads, and backcountry routes fragment wildlife habitat, severing historic wildlife migration routes and isolating wildlife populations. Roads and travelways have cut the land into smaller and smaller pieces, increasing edge habitat and presenting barriers to wildlife movements. (4)

Animals like the endangered Canada lynx need stretches of undeveloped lands to maintain healthy populations.

Colorado Division of Wildlife

· A forest patch adjacent to a clearcut or road can experience localized climate (known as a “microclimate”) changes that extend hundreds of feet into the forest interior. These “edge habitats” tend to be hotter and drier than the generally cooler, more moist, and wind-protected forest interiors, leading to changes in plant and animal species compositions. (4)

· Fragmented landscapes often block native species movement. For instance, studies have shown that certain species, such as amphibians or pine martens, are seldom able to successfully cross roads or clearcuts to disperse to other suitable habitat. Eventually, populations of native species can become isolated from each other as a result of habitat fragmentation. This isolation can cause numerous problems for native species, such as stress due to inadequate habitat conditions (e.g., limited food sources or restricted seasonal ranges) or inbreeding over time. (3)

· As landscapes become progressively fragmented, remaining native habitat patches may become so small that they are transformed entirely into edge habitat and may be unusable for many native species. Even relatively large remaining natural habitat patches may be too small for certain species to persist simply because they provide inadequate resources for feeding or breeding or because human presence is increased. (3)