The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is trying to log over 150 acres of 86-101 year old mature forest in Thurston County. The “Evergreen Gold” timber sale contains western red cedar trees over five feet in diameter, as well as the Lost Valley Trailhead, a popular trail for hikers, mountain bikers, and equestrians. Capitol Forest is an important ecological refuge for urban residents of Thurston County! Clearcutting its mature forests and turning them into tree plantations goes against the recreational, cultural, and environmental needs of Thurston County residents.

DNR is accepting public comments for this sale. Please take 1 minute to send this pre-written comment to DNR and Thurston Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) urging them to cancel Evergreen Gold. It has an even greater impact if you can add a sentence or two saying why you care about protecting mature forests and/or Capitol Forest from being clearcut. Last time we sent over 2,000 emails to protect other timber sales nearby. Let’s try to double that by sharing this campaign with our friends and family who love forests!

Earlier this year, Thurston BoCC wrote a powerful letter asking DNR to pause the “Juneau” timber sale and to stop logging mature forests in Thurston County. DNR should honor this request and stop the Evergreen Gold sale as well. Evergreen Gold has not yet been approved by DNR, so we have a great opportunity to get it canceled! After you send this comment, please share it with 5 friends and family members who are Thurston County residents or who care about the Capitol State Forest.