These mountain biking trails on Galbraith Mountain will temporarily close during logging
Some mountain biking trails on Galbraith Mountain will close temporarily while trees are thinned on about 420 acres and cleared from another 40 acres during the next few months.
The work started Thursday, Oct. 15, and will take about 16 weeks. Trails will be reopened as soon as it’s safe to do so, according to a release from Galbraith Tree Farm.
Located east of Bellingham, Galbraith is the common name for North Lookout Mountain, and is a renowned mountain biking playground with more than 65 miles of trails that have become increasingly popular with hikers and runners.
The land people use for recreation is on timberland owned by Galbraith Tree Farm. Janicki Logging, which is based in Sedro-Woolley, manages the property and is doing the timber harvest.
Rob Janicki is the principal owner of Galbraith Tree Farm.
Thinning, or selectively cutting trees in a stand, on the 420 acres is being done to help reduce wildfire danger and to help the trees left behind grow bigger and healthier, according to the release.
Timber thinning in the area would occur every 10 years, the release states, “meaning that this block will remain relatively untouched following the current operations.”
As for the 40 acres, those trees are being cut — with cleared areas averaging less than two acres each in size, which Galbraith Tree Farm described as small — because laminated root rot was found in several stands.
Found in roots, the disease will slowly spread to the rest of the tree as well as others nearby.
“It is imperative to harvest these stands before the rot spreads beyond the roots and causes permanent damage to the timber,” the release states, adding that the area will then be replanted with disease-resistant trees.
Trails that will be affected by the logging will be upper Huff and Puff, Mohawk, Mullet, Happy Hour, High Life, Bottle Opener, Keystone, Vitamin R, The Finger, Devilcross and Supercross, according to the Whatcom Mountain Bike Coalition, the nonprofit mountain biking advocacy group that has served as the steward of the mountain for more than 30 years.
“As always, we will close/reopen trails as quickly as possible and will need lots of volunteer help to reopen them as they move through the areas,” the coalition said on its website.
The bike coalition is keeping people updated about trail access, including on its Facebook page.
It said on Thursday morning, Oct. 15, that crews were “working along the 4000 road between Red Rock and Mullet/Mohawk, so be extra cautious in that area. We anticipate first trail closures will be on Monday (Oct. 19), but things are always dynamic during these operations.”
“When they start to haul logs off the hill, we’ll be asking folks to ride up trails and get off certain roads during the work days,” the coalition states in its Facebook post.
Logging has occurred on Galbraith for decades and has co-existed with recreational use. Under agreements with different owners, mountain bikers, organized by the Whatcom Mountain Bike Coalition, have rebuilt sections of affected trails once the work was completed.
That will happen this time as well.
The logging operation is expected to be off the mountain by late January, depending on weather, the coalition said.
Janicki will work closely with the bike group and the city of Bellingham to make sure trails are posted close for recreation safety, according to the release.
This story was originally published October 19, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
