North Creek Forest

About

The North Creek Forest is located in Bothell, Washington and surrounds a section of the 12.6-mile (20.3 km) North Creek and encompasses 64 acres of mature second growth mixed coniferous/hardwood forest with 7 streams and 9 wetlands. The forest forms a one mile long and up to 1/3- mile wide habitat corridor extending from Canyon Park Junior High School in the north almost to the North Creek wetlands near the University of Washington Bothell Campus, and eventually links to the Sammamish River in the south. The North Creek Forest is one of the last remaining mature coniferous forests in the Bothell area. The forest here filters and cools water in streams, wetlands and countless small springs and seeps, along an entire mile of watershed. The cooling of this water is crucial for 5 species of anadromous fish that spawn in North Creek including chum, coho, sockeye, chinook and steelhead. Many other ecosystem services are provided by this forest including carbon sequestration, reduction of surface runoff and cooling of ambient temperatures in surrounding neighborhood.

The dominant tree species of North Creek Forest are Pseudotsuga menziesii (Douglas-fir), Thuja plicata (western redcedar), Tsuga heterophylla (western hemlock), Taxus brevifolia (western yew), Abies grandis (grand fir), Acer macrophyllum (big-leaf maple), Frangula purshiana (cascara), Alnus rubra (red alder) and Cornus sericea (red osier dogwood). The most common current vegetation community type is western red cedar - Douglas-fir/big leaf maple (THPL-PSME/ACMA). This forest is home to countless species of wildlife such as black-tailed deer, Douglas squirrel, mountain beaver, barred owl, western screech owl, great horned owl, coopers hawk, merlin, pileated woodpecker, and the pacific tree frog.