Chimacum Ridge is an over 900-acre forested landscape feature rising between Center and Beaver Valleys. Located among more than 2,000 acres of Land Trust protected farms, forests, and salmon habitat, the Land Trust has been striving to protect this land to keep it undeveloped and managed as healthy timberland and wildlife habitat since 2010. Now owned by Jefferson Land Trust, it is being transformed into a Community Forest to provide public access, plus ecological, social, and economic benefits forever. Many headwater tributaries flow from the ridge into Chimacum Creek, contributing cool clean water to the farms and salmon habitat downstream, and supporting one of the most successful community-based salmon recovery efforts in the area.
The forest has many different forest stands of varying ages, most of which are about 47-year-old planted Douglas-fir mixed with naturally regenerating Western redcedar, Western hemlock, Grand fir, Sitka spruce, Big-leaf maple, Red alder, Bitter cherry, and willows. Plus, there are understory shrub species such as Salal, Pacific rhododendron, Ocean spray, Serviceberry, Evergreen huckleberry, Oregon grape, and Elderberry. Abundant nesting resident and migratory birds, and other wildlife, extensively use the property throughout the year.
