On January 9, the Stewart Mountain Community Forest (SMCF) — a collaborative planning partnership between Evergreen Land Trust, Nooksack Indian Tribe, Whatcom County, and Whatcom Land Trust — protected an additional 1,616 acres of forestland above the South Fork Nooksack River near Acme, WA.
Combined with the October 2022 purchase of 550 acres, the 2,166-acre forest will protect water resources and biodiversity, offsetting climate change impacts for future generations. It will expand opportunities for tribal cultural access, support sustainable local timber jobs, and public nonmotorized recreation. The local community will continue to play a role in decision-making concerning how the forest is managed and used.
The community forest will be owned by a subsidiary nonprofit organization, which Whatcom Land Trust will establish during 2026. All partners have indicated support for this approach and are working together to finalize the structure of the governance board. Stewart Mountain Community Forest was based on years of community input, and the board will ensure that community engagement continues into the future.
The January 2026 1,616-acre acquisition was made possible by a $5.5 million grant from the Washington State Department of Ecology’s Streamflow Restoration Program, and $3 million from the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office Community Forest Program. The funding was combined with additional public funds and support from Whatcom Land Trust donors to reach the approximately $9 million purchase price.
The SMCF planning partnership was established to address growing concerns over watershed health in the South Fork Nooksack watershed. Over the past 30 years, Stewart Mountain has been owned and logged by six different companies, leading to large sections of clearcuts replaced by young trees planted too densely for healthy forest succession.
This intensive logging, combined with climate change and decreasing snowpack levels, has contributed to the South Fork Nooksack River’s struggles with sediment buildup and low water levels in late summer — conditions that harm fish, increase flood risk, and reduce water reliability.
All forest management activities within SMCF will be guided by goals that balance a variety of ecological, economic, and community benefits.
For more information on Stewart Mountain Community Foresr: https://whatcomlandtrust.org/stewart_mountain1616/.
