The last sizable timber mill in the state has struggled to find enough trees to keep the saws running. But down the road, a small mom and pop operation is thriving with a unique business model. Alaska Specialty Woods uses salvaged trees to make instrument tops, which are shipped all around the world. But this sustainable company still wants the timber industry to stick around. …This is how the family business gets its wood: from bridges no longer used on old logging roads to trees that have been blown down or are dead standing. Cole says there are millions of acres in the Tongass National Forest, and finding these trees can be like a scavenger hunt. …But in 2014, Cole Sr. says it became nearly impossible to find any living Sitka spruce that wasn’t off limits in the Tongass.