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Committee recommends adoption of Lake Whatcom Watershed Forest Management Plan after detailed presentation
Summary
The committee unanimously recommended adopting a joint city–county Lake Whatcom Watershed Forest Management Plan that covers roughly 12,250 acres of city/county holdings within the 36,000‑acre watershed; staff highlighted community engagement, forest assessments and a 30‑year implementation timeline but said annual budgets and project-specific costs will depend on stand types and chosen actions.
The Bellingham City Council’s Public Works and Natural Resources Committee voted unanimously to forward a resolution recommending adoption of the Lake Whatcom Watershed Forest Management Plan, a joint city–county document intended to guide stewardship on properties acquired to protect the watershed and drinking-water source.
Public Works Director Joel Funt called the plan “a big accomplishment” and placed it alongside the city’s broader efforts to meet phosphorus reduction obligations under the Lake Whatcom total maximum daily load. He said the Lake Whatcom land-acquisition and preservation program has purchased more than 3,500 acres to protect water quality for the roughly 120,000 residents who rely on the lake for drinking water.
"This is a big accomplishment to get this done," Funt said.
Superintendent Mike Perilskin, who led the planning presentation, said the plan applies only to city and county property inside the watershed (about 12,250 acres of the approximately 36,000‑acre watershed) and is the first time the Lake Whatcom five‑year work plan (2025–2029) has included forest management as a discrete program area. Perilskin said staff used a consultant, Northwest Natural Resources Group, to conduct a forest assessment with 424 field plots, produce road and culvert inventories, and develop treatment recommendations such as variable‑density thinning and road upgrades to reduce sediment delivery.
Perilskin said staff and the consultant conducted community engagement through the city’s Engage Bellingham site, two public forest tours, stakeholder meetings and a survey; he said 84% of survey respondents supported the plan’s objectives and vision. The plan, Perilskin said, emphasizes long‑term stewardship and adaptive management rather than building new recreational infrastructure; it also clarifies that any thinning would be overseen by a third‑party forester.
Council members asked about prioritization of culvert and road work and how the city will balance maintenance versus further land acquisition. Perilskin said the city now has a year‑round, fully staffed crew to begin implementing prioritized work orders and that operations funding of approximately $1.2 million has so far been adequate to run the crew and pay for necessary professional services. He added that timber‑sale contracts could in some cases be revenue‑generating, while restoration or precommercial work could be cost‑neutral or cost‑incurring depending on stand types.
Council member Lisa praised the level of detail in the plan and encouraged educational use of the document by local universities. After discussion, the committee moved and unanimously approved forwarding the joint resolution adopting the Lake Whatcom Watershed Forest Management Plan to the full council.
