Wetland Profile for Larimer County

  • The wetland profile below describes general geography of Larimer County, the extent of wetland mapping, and the acreage of various wetland classes mapped by National Wetland Inventory.
  • To view this area in the Colorado Wetlands Inventory Mapping Tool, Click Here

  • River Basin Geography

  • Total Area: 1,684,169 acres (6,816 square kilometers)
  • Elevation Range
    • Max: 4,138 meters
    • Min: 1,457 meters
    • Average: 2,361 meters
  • Ecoregions
    • 18: Wyoming Basin: 4%
      • 18f: Laramie Basin: 4%
    • 21: Southern Rockies: 75%
      • 21a: Alpine Zone: 6%
      • 21b: Crystalline Subalpine Forests: 20%
      • 21c: Crystalline Mid-Elevation Forests: 37%
      • 21d: Foothill Shrublands: 12%
    • 25: High Plains: 20%
      • 25c: Moderate Relief Plains: 5%
      • 25d: Flat to Rolling Plains: 4%
      • 25l: Front Range Fans: 12%
  • Land Ownership
    • Total Federal Land: 49%
      • Bureau of Land Management: 2%
      • Federal Land, Misc: < 1%
      • Fish and Wildlife Service: < 1%
      • National Park Service: 8%
      • Total U.S. Forest Service Lands 38%
        • Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests, Pawnee National Grassland: 38%
        • Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest: < 1%
    • Total State Lands 5%
      • Colorado Division of Wildlife: 2%
      • Colorado State Land Board: 2%
      • Colorado State Parks: < 1%
      • State Land, Misc: < 1%
    • City, County, and Other Local Government Lands: 6%
    • Land Trusts and Non-Governmental Organizations: < 1%
    • Tribal Lands: None
    • Private Lands: 41%

  • Wetland Extent and Classification

  • Extent of basin mapped by wetland/riparian mapping projects
    • Digital NWI Mapping: 54% of unit
    • CPW Riparian Mapping: 57% of unit
    • Potential Fen Mapping: < 1% of unit
  • Total area of NWI mapped wetlands: 47,870 acres
  • Percentage of basin mapped as NWI wetland: 5%
  • Wetland area by NWI System and Class
    • Palustrine Emergent: 11,097 acres
    • Palustrine Scrub-Shrub: 11,785 acres
    • Palustrine Forested: 1,052 acres
    • Palustrine Aquatic Bed: 461 acres
    • Palustrine Unconsolodated Shore/Bottom: 2,558 acres
    • All Lacustrine: 18,722 acres
    • All Riverine: 2,194 acres
  • Extent of wetland acres with NWI special modifiers
    • Percent excavated: 4%
    • Percent dammed: 16%
    • Percent ditched/drained: < 1%
    • Percent farmed: < 1%
    • Percent modified by beaver: 1%
  • Wetland landscape integrity
    • Percent of unit in No Discernable Stress: 17%
    • Percent of basin in Low Stress: 34%
    • Percent of basin in Moderate Stress: 16%
    • Percent of basin in High Stress: 12%
    • Percent of basin in Severe Stress: 21%
  • Disclaimer: Basin, subbasin, and county wetland profiles are calculated for the area mapped by National Wetland Inventory (NWI). All percentages and acreage estimates are only for the area mapped. If the entire area of interest is mapped by NWI, these estimates reflect the entire area of interest. If only a portion is mapped, these estimates do not reflect the entire area. For more information about NWI’s Cowardin classification system, click here. For information about NWI mapping standards, click here.