Stimulus package doesn't skimp on national forests

The U.S. Forest Service got more than $1 billion in economic stimulus funding and plans to spend some of the money to repair eroded dirt roads.

U.S. Forest Service Chief Abigail Kimbell said other "shovel-ready" projects will improve bridges, buildings and reduce the risk of wildfires.

Kimbell said the special funding, part of President's Barack Obama's economic recovery act, will create 25,000 jobs in national forests across the country.

Officials say the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest will spend $11.6 million to improve 165 miles of roads. That region covers almost all of the Wasatch Range from the Idaho border south to Provo. It also takes in part of the Uinta mountains.

Forest supervisors throughout Utah said they would work with counties to select more projects.

In Box Elder County, commissioner Jay Hardy said officials were looking forward to repairing 30 years of damage to the Willard Mountain road.

Other local officials said in a statement provided by the Forest Service that they were anticipating similar projects from Cache to Utah counties and were grateful for the jobs the spending would create.

As of Friday, Kimbell said the Forest Service had settled on only $98 million worth of projects, with other decisions pending for the balance of the $1.15 billion in funding.