Hampton Lumber is proud to announce the expansion of its innovative pollinator habitat enhancement project to the company’s timberlands in Washington State’s Skagit and Snohomish counties. This initiative builds on the company’s ongoing efforts to enhance biodiversity and habitat conditions across its working forests, which provide raw materials for wood products while fostering social and ecological benefits.
Hampton’s pollinator program, launched in 2017, focuses on enhancing conditions for native pollinators, particularly bees, in recently harvested areas of its timberlands. Studies have shown that timber harvest sites can serve as valuable pollinator habitat by opening forest canopies to sunlight, allowing an array of plants and animals to flourish. With support from partners in conservation and academia, Hampton has been at the forefront of exploring ways to enhance these habitats on its forestlands.
“Native pollinators play an essential role in our ecosystems, and young forests provide unique habitat for these and other wildlife species,” said Jessica Espy, Hampton’s Community Outreach & Stewardship Coordinator in Sedro-Woolley, WA. Jessica is leading Hampton’s pollinator expansion project in Skagit and Snohomish counties. “Our work seeks to identify cost-effective ways to improve habitat conditions for native bees, which we’re then able to share with other landowners in the region.”
Over the last several years, Hampton has implemented and evaluated a variety of treatments on over 165 acres in Oregon, working closely with experts from the Oregon Department of Forestry and Oregon State University’s Pollinator Health Program.
These experiments have provided valuable insights into how forest management practices can support native pollinator populations, and Hampton’s research has drawn significant interest from the academic and conservation communities as well as from other landowners.
New test plots in the North Cascades will allow Hampton to continue refining its habitat enhancement techniques while contributing to broader scientific understanding.
“We look forward to collaborating with new partners and sharing our findings with other landowners interested in enhancing pollinator habitat on their properties,” said Espy.
More information on Hampton’s pollinator program can be found on the company’s website.
About Hampton Lumber
Hampton Lumber is a fourth-generation, family-owned company headquartered in Portland, Oregon. With over 80 years in the sawmill business, Hampton operates sawmills in Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia and markets wood products all over the world. Hampton also manages a wholesale and lumber export division and numerous reload and remanufacturing facilities throughout the U.S. All of Hampton’s forestlands are certified by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), an independent, non-profit organization that promotes sustainable forest management. SFI certified forests play an important role in water conservation, wildlife habitat, and climate solutions.
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