1111 W. Jefferson Street      John W. Holleran                   Exhibit 5
P.O. Box 50                   Senior Vice President
Boise, Idaho 83728-0001       Human Resources and
208/384-7704                  General Counsel
Fax: 208/384-4912
JWHOLLERAN@BC.COM


May 16, 2000


Securities and Exchange Commission
Attention:  Division of Corporation Finance
450 Fifth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20549

Subject:  Common Stock Issuable Under the Boise Cascade Corporation
          1984 Key Executive Stock Option Plan

Ladies and Gentlemen:

I am the Senior Vice President, Human Resources, and General Counsel of
Boise Cascade Corporation, a Delaware corporation.  In that capacity, I
represent the company in connection with the preparation and filing with
the SEC of a Registration Statement on Form S-8 relating to the
registration of 1,800,000 shares of the company's common stock to be
issued under the 1984 Key Executive Stock Option Plan (the "KESOP").  I
reviewed originals (or copies) of certified or otherwise satisfactorily
identified documents, corporate and other records, certificates, and
papers as I deemed it necessary to examine for the purpose of this
opinion.

Based on the foregoing, it is my opinion that shares of common stock which
are issued upon the exercise of stock options under the KESOP will, when
sold, be validly issued, fully paid, and nonassessable.

I consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the Registration
Statement.  I also consent to the references to me therein under the
heading "Interests of Named Experts and Counsel."  In giving this consent,
however, I do not admit that I am within the category of persons whose
consent is required by Section 7 of the Securities Act of 1933.

Very truly yours,

/s/J. W. Holleran

John W. Holleran

JWH:jas