November 27, 2021 Bush Fire Replanting Project
Lower Sycamore - Tonto National Forest
29 volunteers, including 2 youth volunteers, helped us replant a section of the 2020 Bush Fire burn scar on the Tonto National Forest Mesa Ranger District at Lower Sycamore. We planted 150 saguaros, ocotillos, fishhook barrels, staghorn cholla, and teddy bear cholla.
Native desert cacti including Barrel, Saguaro, Hedgehog, Staghorn Cholla, & Teddy Bear Cholla 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! Thanks to Jenny Vitale, Toll Brothers Arizona, Boyce Thompson Arboretum, and several private land owners for helping make this project possible.
We would also like to thank Ryan Morin, a military veteran on our Dedicated Restoration Team for helping with the project! And thank you to his wife, Burt, for her help!
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 was 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
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.
You can view our all of our replanting projects here.
Thank you to Ryan Morin, a military veteran on our Dedicated Restoration Team and his wife, Burt, for picking up trash in our replanting area before the event got started.
After our replanting event, a fire happened about a mile from our replanting site. Apparently it was caused by target shooters and thankfully fire teams quickly put it out before it could spread. As you can see from the photos, the area is extremely dry. Thank you to one of our volunteers for sharing with us.
