Education / Bellingham · Deming · Lake Whatcom
WWU grad student goes off the beaten path to classify Whatcom County’s legacy forests
It’s one of those exquisite Pacific Northwest July mornings when the sky is clear, and the promise of ripening berries lightly scents the crisp air. Western Washington University students Finley Bell and Aaron Dubbels hike a narrowing trail into Olsen Creek State Forest, east of Lake Whatcom, accompanied by a soundtrack of birdsong and bootfall.
Western Washington University published this notice on 2026-10-13. The following highlights are selected excerpts from the full source.
It’s one of those exquisite Pacific Northwest July mornings when the sky is clear, and the promise of ripening berries lightly scents the crisp air. Western Washington University students Finley Bell and Aaron Dubbels hike a narrowing trail into Olsen Creek State Forest, east of Lake Whatcom, accompanied by a soundtrack of birdsong and bootfall.
Legacy forests like this one are structurally complex, with a diversity of tree species, ages and sizes, plus dense undergrowth. These mature forests are nearing old-growth status — which can take 150-200 years to reach — but are not quite there yet.
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Western Washington University →Source publication: Oct 13, 2026
Source checked: Oct 19, 2026
Brief prepared: Oct 13, 2026
Automatically prepared from the linked public source. Source-digest highlights are quoted excerpts, not independent reporting. Dates and claims remain those of the source.