More than $188 million in federal funding will be allocated to wildfire mitigation for the City of Prescott.
The money comes from last year’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and will also benefit the Four Forest Restoration Initiative that aims to thin nearly 2.5 million acres on the Apache-Sitgreaves, Coconino, Kaibab and Tonto national forests.
The investments are part of the U.S. Forest Service’s 10-year wildfire strategy that aims to protect communities and improve the resilience of forests throughout Arizona, California, Colorado and other western states.
Overall, the new infrastructure law sets aside $8.25 billion dollars in wildfire mitigation funds, much of it to reduce hazardous fuels, rehabilitate burned areas, protect watersheds, and improve wildfire prediction, modeling and detection.