Community forestry as landscape restoration tool to recover salmonid populations in the Nooksack watershed

Community forestry as landscape restoration tool to recover salmonid populations in the Nooksack watershed Commercial logging activities in the South Fork Nooksack River watershed have contributed to a persistent decline in water quality and quantity in recent decades, posing existential threats to numerous species of native fish. Community-driven forest stewardship offers an alternative approach to forest management that can help restore watershed health while simultaneously producing high-quality wood products and supporting local jobs in the woods. Currently, stakeholder groups have joined the Nooksack Tribe and Whatcom County to develop a community forest on Stewart Mountain, just east of Bellingham; however, it remains uncertain how the forest should be managed and which entity should eventually own the land. As a graduate student at WWU, Alexander Harris is studying on six community forests in Washington, each with a unique approach to governance and ownership. This panel will discuss the various approaches to community forestry throughout Washington and examine the advantages and disadvantages of each approach. Panelists will also discuss the Stewart Mountain Community Forest, which is primarily focused on recovering salmon populations, enhancing watershed resilience to climate change, and producing a wide variety of other benefits for the local community.