This project was a combined effort in partnership with grant funding from Yamaha Outdoor access initiative & the National Forest Foundation, & individual donors. We’re also grateful for the support of the U.S. Forest SErvice Tonto National Forest.
the 2020 Bush Fire
On June 13th, 2020 an individual driving south on SR87 from Payson to Phoenix, noticed their car was overheating and smoke was coming out from underneath. They pulled off the highway to safely inspect the vehicle, but they pulled onto dry grass and the heat from the brakes sparked the 5th largest wildfire in Arizona history.
Years of extreme drought and increased fuel loads (largely made up of non-native, invasive weeds and shrubs) carried the flames through 193,455 acres of the Tonto National Forest. It devastated multiple ecosystems at Lower Sycamore and Four Peaks Wilderness Area as the fire burned over the top of Four Peaks and back down towards Roosevelt Lake. Unfortunately, most of the fire occurred in the Sonoran Desert, an ecosystem that has not evolved or adapted to wildfires. With the impact to over 80,000 iconic saguaros, Natural Restorations is dedicated to the long-term efforts to restore and revegetate the Bush Fire burn scar.
344 saguaros purchased & salvaged from a nursery in tucson
344 saguaros replanted in the 2020 bush fire burn scar
This project was a combined effort in partnership with grant funding from Yamaha Outdoor Access Initiative & the National Forest Foundation, & individual donations. This project would not be possible without the support of the U.S. Forest Service Tonto National Forest.
With grant funding from Yamaha Outdoor Access Initiative & individual donors, we purchased 344 saguaros from Sticky Situation Cacti & Succulent Nursery in Tucson, where the nursery owner is retiring. She loves our replanting project & offered an extremely deep discount if we purchased every saguaro she grew.
These saguaros range from 1ft to 7ft tall, were grown from seed, never under a shade structure, or on a water drip system, so they were perfect for our team to transplant to the burn scar.
We rented a U-Hual & drove our Dedicated Restoration Team to Tucson to salvage and transport 344 saguaros to our cacti nursery on the Tonto National Forest; it took 3 trips to get the saguaros.
Replanting this burn scar directly supports the creation, restoration, improvement, and protection of Sonoran Desert habitats. Wildlife, including pollinators, benefit from the replanting of their native habitat.
Replanting improves the usability and safety of the area for the outdoor community. Bringing native plant communities back to these watersheds helps soil stabilization & reduces the effects of erosion caused by water and wind.
Thank you to Yamaha Outdoor Access Initiative, the National Forest Foundation, & individual donors for helping us make lasting impacts on Arizona’s natural spaces and the veterans on our team, we are grateful for your support!
Salvaging Saguaros in Tucson for the bush fire burn scar
Thank you to Yamaha Outdoor Access Initiative & individual donors for helping us purchase these saguaros! Thank you to Sticky Situation Cacti & Succulent Nursery for your generous support!
Replanting 344 saguaros in the bush fire burn scar
at Four Peaks on the Tonto National Forest
Thank you to the National Forest Foundation for providing grant funding for our Dedicated Restoration Team to replant 344 saguaros in the Bush Fire burn scar at Four Peaks on the Tonto National Forest.
