March 26, 2022 Bush Fire Replanting Project
Lower Sycamore - Tonto National Forest
We teamed up with our friends from AZ4Runner Outsiders for a Bush Fire Replanting at Lower Sycamore. We planted 47 native desert saguaro, ocotillo, fishhook barrel, chain fruit cholla and beehives in the 2020 Bush Fire burn scar on the Tonto National Forest - Mesa Ranger District. The saguaros and barrels planted were some of the largest we've collected so they took most of our time to replant.
Native desert cacti including Saguaro, Ocotillo, Fishhook Barrel, Chain Fruit Cholla, & Beehives were rescued from several Phoenix area construction sites & have been safely transported & replanted at the top of Lower Sycamore on the Tonto National Forest.
Thank you to everyone at the Tonto National Forest Service - Mesa Ranger District for all of your help and support of our Replanting Program! Thank you to Jenny Vitale, Toll Brothers Arizona, Boyce Thompson Arboretum, and several private land owners for helping make this project possible.
It means so much to us to be a part of this Replanting Project because of our love & commitment to Lower Sycamore and all things Tonto National Forest. It has been devastating to drive through the area after the Bush Fire & see the damage left behind. To be able to physically do something to bring life back to this area is extremely rewarding for all of us!
CLICK ON ANY PICTURE FOR FULL-SIZE IMAGE GALLERY
We had so much fun with the team from AZ4Runner Outsiders, they have done a lot to help us increase our impact on outdoor spaces across Arizona and military veterans on our Dedicated Restoration Team. In December 2021, they raised $10,050 for our restoration programs! It was wonderful having some of their members helping us replant a portion of the Bush Fire burn scar and to be able to tell them how much of an impact their fundraiser has had on our Restoration Programs.
Thank you to everyone from AZ4Runner Outsiders for your help and support of our mission!
Watering Cacti in the desert
Watering cacti is not only valuable in providing initial water to reduce transplant shock, it also aids in compacting the soil around the freshly planted root network. This was accomplished by providing each newly planted cacti with several gallons of water, no easy task in the middle of the desert.
