ABSTRACT
Colorado is located in the west central part of the United States. It is nearly rectangular and the highest mountains in the Continental Divide are located within its boundaries (Doesken et al. 2003). The north and south boundaries are the 418 S and 378 N parallels and the east and west boundaries are the 1028 E and 1098 W meridians. There are about 268,630 km2 of land in Colorado and about 40% of the
state comprises the eastern High Plains, which are at the western edge of the Great Plains. The average elevation in Colorado is 2,073 m, with the lowest point being about 1,021 m near the town of Holly in southeastern Colorado where the Arkansas River crosses the border into Kansas. The highest peak is Mt. Elbert in the central mountains reaching a height of 4,399 m. Figure 18.1 is a relief map of Colorado that illustrates the tremendous elevational gradient in the state and thus the potential for significant environmental variation. About 7,021,050 ha are considered pasture and rangeland while 8,759,920 ha are forestland (http:==csfs.colostate.edu=CO.htm). Federal and state government agencies manage about 6,330,770 ha of forestland and 2,429,150 ha are privately owned and managed.
