Speaking Up for Legacy Forests:
How to Comment at a BNR Meeting
Each month in Olympia, the Washington State Board of Natural Resources (BNR) meets to discuss various matters and approve timber sales proposed by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The meetings are typically held at 9 a.m. on the first Tuesday of each month and begin with one hour of public testimony. During this time, selected members of the public can comment for up to two minutes each, either in person or via Zoom.*
More and more Washingtonians are calling on the Commissioner of Public Lands and BNR to protect our irreplaceable legacy forests. You can join them by following the step-by-step guide below.
*Due to the hour limit, not everyone who registers ahead of time is allowed to provide comment at BNR meetings.
1. Find the next meeting
This page contains a list of BNR meetings. Scroll down to the meeting you wish to attend, and then click "Registration Instructions." Note that the registration period opens at noon (or later) on the third Friday of each month and ends at 4 p.m. on the Thursday before the meeting.
2. Register to comment
You will be directed to a document titled "Board of Natural Resources Meeting Webinar Instructions." The second page has two registration links: one for desktop users and another for mobile users. Click the appropriate link and input the requested information. You should then receive a registration confirmation via email.
3. Check your speaker number
On the Friday before the BNR meeting, you will receive an email with your randomized speaker number. Note that the public comment period allows time for an average of 30 speakers, but this number varies meeting to meeting. If you're assigned a higher number, you can still provide comment to BNR at bnr@dnr.wa.gov.
4. Prepare your comment
Now it's time to express yourself! Just keep in mind that whether you decide to read a prewritten statement or wing it, each comment is limited to two minutes. We encourage you to get creative and make your comment as personal or scientific as you want. What matters most is that we continue to challenge DNR's destruction of our last native legacy forests, and demand the protection of these rare ecosystems—for our communities, watersheds, biodiversity, and climate.
Want some help? Check below for suggested talking points relevant to the next BNR meeting on February 3, 2026
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Unit 3 of the Chai timber sale targets one of the last pre-1900s structurally complex stands in Capitol State Forest, with trees originating in the 1880s (nearly 150 years old).
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The 31-acre forest includes one of the only remaining stands of mature grand fir in all of Capitol State Forest.
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Logging would impact the only significant legacy forest left in the Mox-Chehalis watershed.
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The area is also a valuable recreational resource, located near the North Slope parking lot and heavily used by the public.
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Chai would remain economically viable without logging Unit 3, which accounts for just 19% of the sale’s total timber volume.
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The County Commissioners of Thurston County, a trust beneficiary of Unit 3, have explicitly and repeatedly requested that legacy forests like this one be protected from logging.
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The Common School Trust, overseen by Superintendent Chris Reykdal, is the other trust beneficiary; Reykdal has consistently expressed that forests of this age should not be logged.