Washington tribes could get more say in management of state logging lands

Two Washington tribal leaders could soon snag seats on the state’s Board of Natural Resources, which guides logging sales and other management decisions for millions of acres of public land.

Sen. Claudia Kauffman, a Democrat from Kent who’s the first Native American woman to serve in the state Senate, proposed Senate Bill 5838. On Monday, it was voted out of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources. The bill originally called for only one tribal representative to be appointed to the board, but it was changed to two members as it moved through the committee process.

The proposal is backed by Public Lands Commissioner Dave Upthegrove, who chairs the board and leads the Department of Natural Resources. The department requested the legislation.

If enacted, the governor would appoint a tribal representative from each side of the Cascades, bringing the board’s membership from six to eight. Eligible tribal members must hold an elected position in a federally recognized tribe whose reservation or treaty-ceded lands are in Washington.

https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2026/02/06/washington-tribes-could-get-more-say-in-management-of-state-logging-land/