…Consistent with the recommendations of the Tongass Advisory Committee, the state of Alaska and the U.S. Forest Service are undertaking a comprehensive inventory of the largest and most mature young-growth timber stands. This inventory will conclude in 2018, and will help inform how and where young-growth harvest will occur in the future. Nothing in the plan amendment prevents the Forest Service from continuing to offer old-growth timber to help bridge the gap until such a time as young-growth stands become merchantable. It would be a shame to undo all this progress, not just for a transitioning timber industry, but also for the region’s major sources of employment: fishing and tourism.