Log rolling, uphill: That could sum up the efforts to use a struggling, rebuilt timber industry to protect watersheds, reduce wildfire risks and stimulate rural economies, all at the same time. Case in point: The discussions of expiring state incentives for thinning projects and the long, vital struggle to thin the watershed of the C.C. Cragin Reservoir at the last meeting of the Natural Resources Working Group. The gathering of local officials, loggers and Forest Service timber administrators illustrated the economic and bureaucratic complications as well as the high stakes. Start with the long-suffering effort to thin the 64,000-acre watershed of the C.C. Cragin Reservoir. The 15,000 acre-foot reservoir holds the key to Payson’s long-term water future. …In the meantime, the group of local officials and loggers is focused on convincing the state to extend vital tax credits for forest industries, despite the forthcoming state budget crisis.