Crews recently began the second leg of the Dude Fire Restoration Project on the Tonto National Forest.
The forest, state partners and organizations like the Salt River Project are collaborating to restore more than 1,100 acres of woodland and ponderosa pines. This phase of the project focuses on reducing potential fuel for wildfires by thinning out dense areas of trees and brush.
Crews are aiming to wrap up by December and treat a total of 7,600 acres over the next two years.