ACME, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – A local community forest near Acme is getting a major expansion.

Whatcom Land Trust finalized its purchase of just over 1,600 acres of land on Stewart Mountain on Wednesday, Jan. 7. The Stewart Mountain Community Forest now totals over 2,100 acres after the roughly $9 million purchase.

My Bellingham Now previously reported that the Whatcom County Council narrowly voted to approve the purchase last August. State-funded grants paid for the vast majority of the expansion, with help from public funds and Whatcom Land Trust donors.

The organization says the habitat at Stewart Mountain has been harmed by intensive logging over the past 30 years.

The community-owned forest is now being conserved to offer tribal access, support local timber jobs and public non-motorized recreation.

Whatcom Land Trust plans to establish a subsidiary non-profit organization to oversee the forest later this year.