Lake Whatcom Forest Management Plan

Draft Plan documents available for review

Thank you to everyone who took our survey to provide input on the draft Lake Whatcom Forest Management Plan through November 20. The survey is now closed. Community feedback will be integrated into the final plan, which we will bring to Bellingham City Council and Whatcom County Council in early 2026.

Help shape the future of forests in the Lake Whatcom watershed

Do you care about clean water, forest health, and outdoor recreation in the Lake Whatcom watershed? We want to hear from you as we develop our first-ever joint Lake Whatcom Forest Management Plan.

Whatcom County Parks and Recreation Department (County) and the City of Bellingham (City) are working together with ecological forestry consultants from Northwest Natural Resource Group (NNRG) to create a long-term plan that will protect water quality, improve forest health, and support responsible recreational access (where applicable) by guiding forest management across more than 13,000 acres of forests that we collectively manage in the Lake Whatcom watershed. This plan also helps advance the Forest Management program area within the 2025-2029 Lake Whatcom Management Program Work Plan.

Which forests are included?

• County-managed forest lands with recreational access: Whatcom County manages approximately 9,600 acres of parklands, including Lookout Mountain Forest Preserve and Lake Whatcom Park, which were reconveyed from the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. These areas support passive recreation activities such as hiking and biking.
• City-managed forest lands preserved for water quality: The City manages more than 3,500 acres of land acquired through the Lake Whatcom Land Acquisition and Preservation Program, which purchases land to prevent development and safeguard forests that protect Lake Whatcom, Bellingham's drinking water source. This program is ongoing, with new properties regularly added.

See an interactive map of these lands in the Lake Whatcom watershed. Any forests in the Lake Whatcom watershed that are not managed by the County or City - such as privately owned forests for timber harvest or forests managed by the Department of Natural Resources - are not included in this plan.

Why are we creating this plan?

Since time immemorial, Lake Whatcom has played an important role in the quality of life for the people and ecosystems surrounding it. Its watershed was first inhabited and utilized by Coast Salish tribes, who cared for the land long before European settlers arrived and continue to use the watershed today. Lake Whatcom is also the drinking water source for more than 100,000 Whatcom County residents, provides valuable wildlife habitat, is a recreational destination, and home to more than 19,000 people. Improving and protecting forest health in the watershed is just one of many ways that the City, County, and partners seek to protect Lake Whatcom and its watershed from threats such as pollution impacts, wildfire risk, climate change, and unmanaged recreation. The forests surrounding the lake are crucial because they act as a natural filtration system, slowing and cleaning rainwater runoff to protect the lake's water quality. They also stabilize steep slopes, preventing erosion and sediment from entering the lake. Any forest management activities we implement will be guided by our priority to protect water quality.

What will the plan do?

The Lake Whatcom Forest Management Plan will inventory and assess existing forest conditions and provide recommendations for enhancing forests to reduce water quality impacts in Lake Whatcom, promote forest health, and increase resilience to climate change, wildfire, and disease. The recommendations in the plan will be site-specific, since forest management needs may vary from site to site. The plan will also recognize the unique purposes of each property. For example, County parks have management goals related to providing passive non-motorized public recreation, while City-acquired lands focus on forest preservation for water quality protection.

Learn more

In this video, join the project's ecological forestry consultants for an educational tour of forest stands in the Lookout Mountain Forest Preserve that represent the type of forests that will be included in the plan. Learn what factors are considered when proposing forest management activities.

📷 Photo of Lake Whatcom Overlook by Hannah Montroy