You can thank the treehuggers for pushing their zero controlled burn policy. This happened near Payson and Heber about 8 years ago due to the same ignorant policy.
I have been told by Forest Department Personnel that it takes anywhere between two to five years to get a controlled burn permit and most of that time is spent in court because of the environmental nut jobs. They just do not understand that dead wood sits there for about a hundred years in our dry climate.
Don't forget the Rodeo-Chediski fire (June 2002)...I had to evacuate from Show Low AZ for ten days.
We sold out and went back to the Albuquerque area after that. This Wallow fire is shaping up to be as bad.
I'm glad to be in the desert.