The federal government has allocated almost $500 million to reduce the risk of wildfire throughout the West.
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced Tuesday that the infrastructure funds would be used for ongoing forest health initiatives on 21 priority landscapes.
The projects include more than 130,000 acres within the Four Forest Restoration Initiative in northern and central Arizona as well as lands near Prescott and on the San Carlos Apache reservation.
In all, officials say the thinning work will reduce wildfire danger in 550 communities and 1,800 watersheds.
It’s all part of the U.S. Forest Service’s Wildfire Crisis Strategy.
The agency says in 2023 it along with its partners and tribes treated 4.3 million acres of hazardous fuels on National Forest lands.