"new growth"

The U.S. Forest Service on Prince of Wales Island and U.S. Department of Agriculture officials are working on a plan to help ease tensions by changing rules and selling younger timber.

After a morning spent wordsmithing and getting some new language ready to insert into the document, Tongass Advisory Committee members agreed they had reached their goal.

Members say they are confident about their recommendations, but not sure the Forest Service will implement them.

Can Southeast’s timber industry survive while only logging second-growth forests? An Oregon research group says it can. And it could happen sooner than many expect.