Bellingham City Council approves logging contract with Janicki Logging and Construction

Thinning the trees will allow for more ecological biodiversity to thrive in the North Beaver Creek Preserve.

Apr. 16, 2026 at 8:56pm

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A brightly colored, high-contrast silkscreen print of a single, iconic tree trunk repeated in a tight grid pattern, in the style of Andy Warhol, conceptually representing the selective logging project in the North Beaver Creek Preserve.A selective thinning of the North Beaver Creek Preserve's dense forest aims to promote greater biodiversity while generating revenue for the city.Bellingham Today

The Bellingham City Council has unanimously approved a contract with Janicki Logging and Construction to thin out an 80-acre section of the North Beaver Creek Preserve. The city will receive 20% of any timber sales to be used for logging road upgrades. Public Works estimates the number of trees per acre will be reduced from 250 to 150, allowing for more ecological diversity to flourish in the former logging site.

Why it matters

The North Beaver Creek Preserve is an important natural area in Bellingham, and this thinning project aims to improve the ecological health of the forest by allowing for greater biodiversity. The city's partnership with a local logging company to selectively remove trees also provides revenue that can be reinvested into maintaining the preserve's infrastructure.

The details

Under the approved contract, Janicki Logging and Construction will begin thinning an 80-acre section of the North Beaver Creek Preserve that has become overcrowded. Public Works estimates the number of trees per acre will be reduced from about 250 to 150, which should allow for more diverse plant and animal species to thrive in the former logging site. The city will receive 20% of any timber sales generated from the thinning project, and that revenue will be used to upgrade the preserve's logging roads.

  • The Bellingham City Council voted unanimously on Monday, April 16, 2026 to approve the logging contract.
  • A timeline for when the tree thinning will begin has not yet been announced.

The players

Bellingham City Council

The governing body of the City of Bellingham, Washington that approved the logging contract with Janicki Logging and Construction.

Janicki Logging and Construction

A local logging company that will be conducting the tree thinning work in the North Beaver Creek Preserve under the approved contract.

Bellingham Public Works

The city department that identified the need for thinning in the 80-acre section of the North Beaver Creek Preserve and estimates the reduction in trees per acre.

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What’s next

A timeline for when the tree thinning will begin has not yet been announced.

The takeaway

This logging contract represents a balanced approach to managing the North Beaver Creek Preserve, allowing for ecological restoration while also generating revenue for the city to reinvest in the preserve's infrastructure. The project aims to strike a careful equilibrium between human use and environmental conservation in this important natural area.