Astoria Bear Creek Watershed

The Bear Creek Watershed has been owned by the City of Astoria since 1936, with the primary management goal of protecting the city’s water supply.

Some of the community benefits provided by the Bear Creek Watershed include:

  1. Protection of the City of Astoria’s water supply, maintaining high quality drinking water for the community.

  2. Ecological resilience, carbon storage, and high-quality wildlife habitat.

  3. Income from limited timber harvests and sale of carbon credits supports the Astoria Capital Improvement Fund. Harvest brings in roughly $250,000 annually, while carbon credit sales raised $2 million in their first year with smaller ongoing payments.

This photo shows a sweeping view of a forested area with several ridges. Patches of older and younger forest are mixed. A reservoir is visible below the ridge.

Healthy forests in Astoria’s Bear Creek Watershed provide a clean, resilient drinking water supply.

Additional Property Facts:

  1. The Bear Creek Watershed is about 3,700 acres in size and was purchased from the Crown Zellerbach Corporation.

  2. Timber harvests on the property adhere to or meet the Forest Stewardship Council Certification, the most in-depth forest management certification program.

    By protecting valuable ecological resources while producing sustainable income, the Astoria Bear Creek Watershed is a great example of the values a community-owned forest can provide.

Photo provided by Sustainable Northwest

This image shows a dense conifer forest, with a large tree visible in the foreground.

Right: Large trees in the Bear Creek Watershed serve as valuable carbon stores, which the city has monetized through voluntary carbon markets.

A group of around 10 people stand on a forested ridge, next to several trucks parked along a gravel road. A cell tower is visible behind them.

Left: Stakeholders gather on the ridge during a tour of the Bear Creek Watershed.

Photos: Sustainable Northwest

This document is supported in part by financial assistance from the Forest Service. This institution is an equal opportunity provider.