Forest Initiative sets New Precedent in Nooksack River Basin
A new community forestry initiative proposes greater community control over the Nooksack watershed.
Tree stumps are scattered along the shore of Baker Lake as the last remnants of old-growth forests. // Leah Henry
Story by Kate Lincoln
March 7, 2023
Counteracting the region’s previously unsustainable forestry habits, the Stewart Mountain Community Forest Initiative offers an approach to revive hydrologic function in the South Fork Nooksack River watershed and restore salmon populations.
The Nooksack watershed has a long history of industrial forestry, which has degraded its ecosystems. Improved forest management will benefit both human and ecological communities in the South Fork, providing a more sustainable future for the Nooksack watershed.
The Stewart Mountain Community Forest Initiative is a collaborative, community-based effort that aims to acquire and manage approximately 6,000 acres of forested land on Stewart Mountain. It will provide economic, ecological, cultural and recreational benefits to surrounding communities.
The proposed forest is located seven miles east of Bellingham, on the east side of Lake Whatcom.
A patchwork blanket of old-growth forests, clear-cut stands and growing monoculture forests, Stewart Mountain and its sister peaks reveal the varied logging practices of their past. The South Fork Nooksack River glides at the mountains’ feet, showing variation in its seasonal water levels and temperatures.
“A community forest is an area that is managed by the community specifically for the interest of the community,” said Oliver Grah, former Water Resource Program Manager for the Nooksack Indian Tribe. “Whether [it] be environmental interests, economic interests, or generating local jobs and retaining as much as that revenue for local purposes.”
The project’s core team of contributors includes Whatcom County, Whatcom Land Trust, Evergreen Land Trust and the Nooksack Indian Tribe. The project also hosts an Interim Community Advisory Team. This includes citizens, forestry experts and scientists of the South Fork Nooksack Valley.
Sustainable management of forested land in the Nooksack watershed will improve waterway health and ecosystem resilience. This will bolster the ecosystem’s capacity to prevent future ecological catastrophes.
In September 2021, 2,500 salmon showed up dead in the South Fork before they had a chance to spawn. Similar incidents will occur more frequently in the South Fork as water temperatures continue to rise and stream flows diminish.
Increasing air temperatures and low summer flows contribute to habitat degradation. Without deep pools to take refuge in, salmon traveling upstream overheat and die before they can successfully spawn, according to a 2013 report.
“It’s like a canary in the coal mine,” said Valerie Lloyd from the Community Forest’s Interim Community Advisory Team. “The health of the fish is an indicator of the health of the environment.”
Previously employed commercial logging procedures are targeted as the culprit of watershed and salmon habitat impairments, according to a 2017 report by hydrologist Susan Dickerson-Lange.
Industrial foresters often practice even-aged, short rotation logging, where stands of similar-aged trees are felled at faster intervals than they can grow back. Without adequate tree coverage, rainwater and glacial melt run off the land before it can be stored in the forest’s root system for dry months.
Flows are much lower in the South Fork than the Middle Fork and North Fork,” Grah said. Much more of the South Fork is under commercial forestry management, which nominally affects stream flows. The Washington Watershed Management Board considered many projects for restoring the South Fork watershed.
“The Stewart Mountain Community Forest was identified as the top ranked project that would have a positive impact on streamflow and water supply in the whole basin,” said Chris Elder, a senior planner for Whatcom County.
Under management of the Community Forest, local forestry companies will employ a long-rotation, uneven-aged thinning approach. Trees will be selectively removed from plots of land at longer intervals. The Community Forest will also restrict harvesting on old-growth stands, said Elder.
A logging truck carries a load of fresh wood to the local lumber yard. // Leah Henry
Removal of trees in a selective, more natural manner encourages the healthy regrowth of forests. This restores their ability to capture and gradually release water into the stream network during summer months.
“This project isn’t just about addressing current problems in the watershed, it is also about making the watershed more resilient in the face of climate change,” Grah said.
This project will provide recreational and educational opportunities to the surrounding communities as a portion of the reserve will be opened for public access. Local residents and visitors will have the opportunity to hike, bike, ride horseback or educate themselves in the habitat Stewart Mountain offers.
After eight years of effort and negotiation, the Community Forest has successfully moved into Phase I of their project. In November 2022, Whatcom Land Trust acquired 550 acres of forested land for the project on the eastern face of the mountain. This area comprises the most ecologically sensitive portion of the planned 6,000 acres.
Stewart Mountain stands high above the farmlands that sit along the Nooksack River. The beginning stages of the community forest project can be seen among the tall pines. // Leah Henry
Elder said the remaining 5,500 acres have yet to be acquired in part due to questions of funding and management.
Though its presence is relatively new to Whatcom County, community forestry as a whole is a well established concept throughout the world.
“Community forests have been used in Europe, New England, Central and South America and Southeast Asia for a long time,” said Alex Jeffers, Conservation Director at Whatcom Land Trust.
In the Pacific Northwest, community forests such as those at Nisqually and Teanaway have been inspirations for the plans of the Stewart Mountain Community Forest. For both locations, diverse stakeholders collaboratively established their forests to protect their respective watersheds and salmon populations.
“The forest land of our regions has sustained people, been shaped by the people and shaped the people of our region since time immemorial,” Jeffers said. “How can we continue looking to forests as a way of building that relationship and meeting the community needs that we have locally in our regions today?”
Though its formation process has been and will continue to be long and tedious, the Stewart Mountain Community Forest provides hope to both ecological and human communities of the South Fork Nooksack River valley.
Kate Lincoln is a 3rd year student at Western who is studying environmental studies and Spanish. She enjoys exploring the complex intersections between these two areas of study.
Leah Henry is a student designing her own interdisciplinary program through the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. She enjoys using her photography to inspire wildlife conservation and environmental compassion.