Finally, the groups are saying the depth of the project, going out to a mile and a half from the community, is more than what is needed. Bird said "defensible space," or safe distance from risky areas, is about half a mile. Once that area is thinned and communities are safe, he said, natural fires can be reintroduced to the forest to clean things up in a more economical way.

But Flanigan pointed to fires in Southern California as evidence for larger buffer areas.

Despite the disagreements, Flanigan said compromise is possible. He said the objection would go to the forest's regional office, which might recommend changes to the plan. That process could take 30 days. And if no changes are made, the environmental groups could turn to litigation.

Meantime, Flanigan said while forest administrators are taking the objection seriously, they also hope decisions can be made quickly.

"We are concerned that they object and disagree with our proposals," he said. "But we're also very concerned that the objections are going to inhibit our ability to reduce the fuels (to protect the community.)"

But Kevin Mueller from the Utah Environmental Congress said abundant rain and snowpack this year minimizes the danger of forest fires and gives the issue some breathing room.

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E-mail: dhinckley@desnews.com