Galbraith Tree Farm Announces Temporary Closure for Wildlife Management: December 11–14, 2025

Bellingham, WA — Galbraith Tree Farm (GTF) will temporarily close all public access to its private landholdings from Thursday, December 11, through Sunday, December 14, 2025, for wildlife management activities aimed at restoring ecological balance within the working forest.

During this closure, GTF will conduct a small-scale, professionally managed bow hunt to help control the local deer population. While deer are a valued part of the ecosystem, their numbers have increased sharply in recent years due to the abundance of nutritious young vegetation in areas recently harvested for timber. Left unchecked, this can hinder forest regrowth, alter native plant communities, and attract predators to areas of high human activity.

"Managing deer populations is critical to long-term forest health and safety," said Rob Janicki, owner of Galbraith Tree Farm. “This is not recreational hunting—it’s part of a broader forest management strategy.”

To ensure maximum safety and accountability, this year’s hunt is restricted to individuals with professional forestry experience and intimate knowledge of Galbraith’s terrain and operations. No public hunting permits will be issued.

GTF has coordinated this closure with the City of Bellingham and the Whatcom Mountain Bike Coalition (WMBC), which manages recreational trail access. WMBC will place clearly marked signage at all major trailheads and access points during the closure. Recreational users are urged to respect these temporary restrictions for their safety and to support sustainable forest management.

For updates or questions, Contact:

Peter Wheeler

Public Relations, Galbraith Tree Farm & Janicki Logging Co.

jlc@parallelcreative.com | 425-418-3334