Tonto National Forest releases final environmental impact statement

Published: Friday, March 25, 2022 - 11:19am
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The U.S. Forest Service released a final environmental impact statement and draft record for the Tonto National Forest plan. 

The plan provides management guidelines for the Tonto Forest for the next 10 to 15 years. 

According to a release from the Forest Service, the new plan is projected to support 3,300 and make about $174,000,000 in income per year. That will be due to mining, livestock grazing and recreation.

The release states the service will work with local groups to improve forest conditions, reduce fire risks, and make forests more resilient to drought, flooding and disease. 

All national forests are required to reflect changes in conditions and public use. Sixty days will be allowed for people to file objections if they provided comments on the draft plan starting March 25.

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