Protecting Whatcom Forests

WMTP Tree Protection

Protecting Whatcom Forests & Watersheds

WMTP Successes in Five Challenges to Maintaining Healthy, Diverse Whatcom Forests & Watersheds

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Introduction

WMTP helps in many ways to sustain key Whatcom forests and watersheds, reducing negative impacts caused by extensive and often unnecessary tree loss. We do that by testifying to policymakers at key hearings, writing detailed critiques of agency draft reports, encouraging media coverage, educating the public about tree issues, and more.

See below for our successes and ongoing work with five key challenges to Whatcom forests and watersheds:

Challenge #1: Disappearing Legacy Forests

DNR-managed forestlands are auctioned to be clear-cut every 35-40 years, with the auction proceeds then distributed to beneficiaries such as school districts and universities. Some of those Whatcom forests are ‘legacy’ forests. (See box below.)

Together with other local nonprofits (Center for Responsible Forestry, RE Sources, and Sierra Club), WMTP has pushed against DNR legacy forest clearcuts since our inception. During 2022, for example, we collectively organized and led a strong advocacy and publicity effort about the “Bessie” parcel in Lake Whatcom watershed. The campaign eventually persuaded DNR to set aside nearly 1,400 acres of trust lands (including the Bessie parcel) within Lake Whatcom watershed for their first-ever Carbon Project, saving approximately 280,000 trees in our community’s drinking watershed!

Also from our collective efforts, during 2022-23 DNR auctions of the 89-acre “Upper Rutsatz” and 69-acre “Brokedown Palace” legacy forest parcels along the upper Nooksack were paused.

Partially from similar advocacy across the state by many organizations and individuals, Dave Upthegrove was elected Commissioner of Public Lands in late 2024. He has pledged to quickly stop DNR’s legacy forest clearcuts. This provides hope that remaining DNR legacy forests will be preserved.

We will continue to work together with advocacy partners to ensure that occurs and is implemented well in Whatcom forests.

Challenge #2: Commercial Logging Impacts

Hundreds of acres of forests in Lake Whatcom watershed are owned by commercial logging companies. These timberlands typically require miles of dirt access roads and are slash burned and herbicide sprayed after a clear-cut, creating numerous negative impacts for Lake Whatcom — Bellingham’s main drinking water supply.

Similarly, along the Nooksack River and its tributaries are extensive commercially logged lands, often on steep slopes. Research by the Lummi Nation has shown that such clearcuts significantly increase Nooksack River peak flooding. Those floods repeatedly cause millions of dollars of damage and displacement in northern Whatcom County and Lummi Nation. Inversely, the same reduced forest canopy along the river decreases Nooksack River flow in the summer, jeopardizing salmon runs.

WMTP is responding to the above commercial timberland impacts in two ways:

Facilitating forest acquisitions. Within Lake Whatcom watershed, WMTP is actively facilitating forestland acquisitions to reduce logging impacts that directly impact our community’s drinking water supply. We also have facilitated forestland acquisitions along tributaries that feed into the Nooksack. Click here to learn about WMTP’s forestland acquisition successes.

Pushing for improved logging buffers. In our new era of periodic torrential rainstorms and high winds, the minimal buffers provided around commercial clearcuts and logging access roads are almost always inadequate to protect the health of nearby waters.

WMTP will continue to push agencies to improve buffer requirements for commercial logging sites near local waters. This will also support Lake Whatcom drinking water quality and salmon sustainability in the Nooksack River and its tributaries.

Challenge #3: Excessive Tree Loss in Home Parcels

Within local lake watersheds, there’s a long history of removing trees to build a new home or for other reasons such as to expand a view. On any given site, the tree loss may not seem significant, but cumulatively it adds up to significant impact in a watershed. Much like the above two challenges, this tree loss increases harmful runoffs into Lake Samish, Lake Padden, and Lake Whatcom — the drinking water source for 100,000+ people.

In 2022, WMTP (together with RE Sources) helped Whatcom County improve tree retention regulations for private property. This resulted in improved Lake Overlay District (LOD) tree retention rules, potentially saving (over many years) hundreds* of mature trees in three key local watersheds: Lake Whatcom, Lake Samish, and Lake Padden. Click the link above to learn more about this success.

*Note: We do not include this success in our Trees Protected count since the quantity of trees will vary per year, depending on specific sites.

Challenge #4: Tree-killing Invasives in Whatcom Forests

Over one thousand trees in and around Lake Whatcom, Lake Samish, and Lake Padden watersheds are slowly dying due to tree-killing invasives such as English ivy. This loss tends to occur in private parcels and along roads, trails, and Whatcom forest edges.

English ivy itself doesn’t pollute the lake, but less tree canopy and understory diversity in a watershed significantly reduces the natural filtration and buffering of stormwater runoff into the lakes.

See WMTP’s many English ivy initiatives. This includes WMTP ivy removal work parties in Lake Whatcom watershed (such as near the Hertz trail), a statewide ban on the sale of English ivy (in progress), and ongoing advocacy to include invasive removal in policies such as the Lake Whatcom Management 5-year Work Plan. See our detailed feedback to that draft plan here.

Challenge #5: Community Education & Awareness

Education is key — for policymakers as well as the public. Many people do not know the difference between mature, diverse forests and plantation timberlands. They also hear misinformation from the well-funded timber industry about how forest ‘thinning’ reduces wildfire potential. And most people don’t realize the above-mentioned threat to trees from English ivy.

WMTP has repeatedly presented at libraries, clubs, public forums, etc. about these topics. We’ve also sponsored the several film shows at the Pickford Film Center and local libraries, such as Elemental: Reimagine Wildfire during 2023-4 to highlight the latest wildfire resiliency science and its potential positive impact for Whatcom forests near homes.

Volunteer Opportunities

Want to help with our Whatcom forest advocacy? Even if you only a have a few hours available per month, please contact us if you have the time and interest!

Related Links/Resources

WA DNR’s Carbon Project

WMTP English Ivy Initiatives

Lake Overlay District (LOD) tree retention rules

WMTP-led forestland acquisitions

WMTP Advocacy Reports & Presentations