Forests

WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration says new rules to manage nearly 200 million acres of national forests will protect watersheds and wildlife while promoting uses ranging from recreation to logging.

The new rules, to replace guidelines thrown out by a federal court in 2009, are set to be released Thursday by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. A summary was obtained by The Associated Press.

ALPINE, Ariz. -- A wildfire burning through scenic mountain areas in eastern Arizona has burned three and possibly as many as six summer cabins, authorities said.

Wildfires in Arizona have forced dozens of evacuations in three small communities, as other fires burned in several Western states that did not immediately threaten any buildings.

COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho -- A viable timber industry is needed to help the U.S. Forest Service deal in an economical way with bark beetle infestations that have been ravaging forests in the Rocky Mountain West, an official with the U.S. Department of Agriculture said.

Robert Bonnie, a senior advisor to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, said Thursday that the Forest Service is relying on the timber companies to thin stands of unhealthy, crowded trees.

"The Forest Service is going to have to pay someone to do it, if they can't sell that timber," Bonnie told a receptive audience at a small- diameter log conference in northern Idaho. "We need forest management for the health of the landscape and the economic stability of rural communities."

CEDAR CITY -- Southern Utah University and a state land agency have inked an agreement to let students and foresters use a local forest as a living laboratory.

LOS ANGELES -- A 12-acre brush fire in Irvine, Calif., over the weekend was caused by a golfer who accidentally chipped a rock at Shady Canyon Golf Club, officials said.

More than 150 firefighters, including helicopters and hand crews, from around Orange County battled the blaze, said Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Greg McKeown.