A Northern Arizona University forestry expert who was ahead of his time in urging communities across the West to thin dense stands of trees and set fire to the landscape as a way to ward off catastrophic wildfires has retired from his position at the school.

Arizona officials say they expect a lower-than-normal wildfire season in the state's higher elevation areas, but see potential for an above-average fire season at lower elevations.

An attorney for Yarnell residents who were burned out in the 2013 blaze contends Arizona must compensate them for their losses because it failed to confine the lightning-caused fire to the state trust lands where it started.

The House voted 262-167 Thursday for a bill that supporters said will reduce wildfires by streamlining the process for managing federal forests before and after outbreaks.

Gov. Jan Brewer called on Arizona residents on Wednesday to be vigilant about preventing wildfires in the wake of an ongoing drought that has left the state even more vulnerable.

Arizona's state forester is citing a growing threat from wildfires as he requests a doubling of his agency's budget.

WASHINGTON – For every dollar the government spends preventing wildfire damage, it could save cash-strapped agencies like the Forest Service another $5 on fighting increasingly large fires, a Senate committee was told Tuesday.

WASHINGTON ai??i?? This year's across-the-board budget cuts are slicing tens of millions of dollars from the federal government's funds for battling wildfires, reductions that have meant fewer firefighters and could cause agencies to dip into other programs designed to prevent future blazes.

Following the arrest of two U.S. citizens accused of starting the largest wildfire in Arizona history, Sen. Steve Gallardo demanded that U.S. Sen. John McCain apologize for comments he made that some wildfires in the state were started by illegal immigrants.

A slower-than-expected wildfire season so far is allowing firefighters around Arizona to shift from suppression to prevention. Federal firefighters are managing prescribed burns to thin fuels and better protect high-risk cities such as Flagstaff, Prescott and Payson.