" So USFS wants to remove 9,000 acres of fire-killed trees (good idea) and replant 10,000 acres of conifer trees (questionable idea) because their natural burn got out of control and burned 60,000 acres (stupid idea). It is no wonder people question the sanity of the USFS. We have controlled burns, maintenance burns, natural burns....get a grip people, they will never treat enough acres to render the help they espouse. We will have smoke-filled skies forever as USFS goes on with their plans unabated and yet they have, over the past 15 years, treated less than 15% of the forest in the manner they intend. The 2005 plan by USFS indicates a cost of about $400-$500 per acre for these treatments. Multiply that by the number of acres needing treatment (about 800,000 acres on the Coconino National Forest) and the cost is $320-400 million. Treated areas will need maintenance burns every few years to keep them in the condition the USFS wants. We can neither afford nor support their efforts, because the plans are futile. They could not finish these burns one time throughout the forest before treated areas will need retreatment. How many ashma sufferers will need treatment during these attempts? How much smoke will fill the skies and how often? How much money will it cost? How does these burns affect the planet and the environment? Apparently we are content not to ask. "