Tonto National Forest officials have reached an agreement to allow state foresters to carry out projects on federal lands, which is expected to help reduce the risk of wildfire.
Foresters on both state and federal lands agree that there is too much fuel in the forest.
But state crews cannot work on federal lands without approval.
The Good Neighbor Authority program addresses that.
The program is expected to expedite planning when the state rolls out its Healthy Forest Initiative, an effort to use inmates for thinning projects.
State foresters report that last year was one of the worst seasons on record for wildfire.
