2024-2025 Northern Arizona Forest Fund Annual Report by National Forest Foundation

NAFF Team

Leadership

Sasha Sasha Stortz

Southwest Region Director

Rebecca Davidson

Senior Director of Conservation Programs

Jeny Davis

Arizona Program Manager

Southwest Region

Kaitlin Girtin

Southwest Regional Development Coordinator

Forestry

Trevor Seck

Arizona Program Forestry Supervisor

Caio Vissicaro

Northern Arizona Program Forestry Coordinator

Luke Reents

Northern Arizona Program Senior Associate

Wood for Life

Sean Etsitty

Wood For Life Program Coordinator

Chad Kim

Wood For Life Project Coordinator

Stewardship

Shannon Smith

Tonto Stewardship Coordinator

Watershed

Katie Sickmann

Southwest Watershed Coordinator

In 2024, the impacts of the Northern Arizona Forest Fund rippled across watersheds and communities.

With your support, we improved forest health on over 4,000 acres, restored more than 600 acres of habitat, improved 21.7 miles of trail, and invested over $10.4 million on Northern Arizona Forests in 2024.

The Cities of Phoenix and Scottsdale, downstream beneficiaries of watershed health, renewed their commitment to this work by approving new five-year agreements, leveraging a five-year commitment from the Salt River Project.

2025 marks our 10th year of program and project investments through the Northern Arizona Forest Fund, representing a significant milestone for celebrating accomplishments and vital partnerships. Much remains to be done, and in order to continue to meet this challenge, we need your continued support. On behalf of the National Forest Foundation, we are grateful for your dedication to the health of our forests, and as a result, the health of our communities and individual wellbeing.

Thank you for your contributions, guidance, and partnership. We look forward to celebrating this milestone and our next decade of partnership!

Sasha Stortz Southwest Region Director

LEARN MORE

We invite you to learn more and click the links throughout the publication to dive deeper into our work.

About NAFF

The Northern Arizona Forest Fund (NAFF) is a locally focused initiative developed by the National Forest Foundation (NFF)—a nonprofit conservation organization whose mission is to bring people together for the enhancement and enjoyment of National Forests and Grasslands.

The NAFF works to protect watersheds and forests through innovative partnerships and collaborations that engage funders in a shared responsibility for water resources and the entire watershed landscape. Arizona businesses, local governments, and individuals are investing in work across watersheds that improves the quality and sustainability of our shared water supply, while reducing wildfire risk, restoring crucial wildlife habitats, and enhancing outdoor recreation experiences.

Through the NAFF, the NFF strives to reach new watershed investment goals, build committed partnerships, and support healthy communities.

Photo: Liz Hastings

2024 Project Highlights

2 4

Together, over 15 organizations and 112 volunteers picked up 390 pounds of trash at the first annual Oak creek Collaborative Cleanup on the Coronado National Forest, improving water quality across the Verde River system, while bringing the community together to foster connection around watershed health.

Across Arizona, social media ambassadors participate in stewardship projects and share responsible outdoor recreation and conservation messaging through the Sonoran Insiders program reaching over 30K people.

Protecting the Verde River headwaters and the communities of Pine, Strawberry, and Payson while improving habitat and reducing wildfire risk with the Deadman Mesa project bordering the Mazatzal & Fossil Creek Wildernesses on the Tonto National Forest.

4. Using low-tech process-based restoration (LTPBR) to reconnect high elevation wetlands with the larger watershed system, benefiting downstream water supplies to local communities and supporting rare riparian flora and fauna with the Stringtown Wash project on the Prescott National Forest.

2024 & 2025 Projects

NAFF in Action

Our work enhances natural systems that contribute to clean and sustainable water flows throughout the Salt, Verde, and Little Colorado watersheds. NAFF projects contribute to clean air and sustainable water supplies, healthy forests to explore, running streams to picnic along, and amazing outdoor recreation experience—from the iconic Sonoran Desert to high elevation forests.

Since 2015, NAFF projects continue to:

• Minimize erosion and sediment into streams, rivers, and reservoirs;

• Improve sustainable water flows and wetlands;

• Restore wildlife habitat and restore native plants,

• Reduce wildfire and post-fire flood risks; and

• Enhance outdoor experiences and engage communities

LEARN MORE

Photo: Julie Bridwell

LITTLE COLORADO RIVER WATERSHED

Mesa

Sonoran Insiders Lake Mar y Oak Creek Trails Oak Creek Roads

Yeager Canyon

Bush Fire Replanting

Beaver Creek

Coconino Springs

Horse Wash

Stringtown Wash Camp Creek

Tonto Invasives

Taylor Sink

Derffer Marshall

Kehl Canyon Schultz Pass Telegram

Timberline Wupatki Allen Lake Weimer Springs

Johnneys Forest Pine Canyon

Scorched Saddle Lynx East Alligator

Deadman Mesa Aquatic Habitat Restoration Rim Country Campgrounds Preacher Canyon Rim Country Trailheads Little Green Valley Schultz HTHP Needle Rock

SALT RIVER WATERSHED

VERDE RIVER WATERSHED

Boulders East Verde Roads

Fossil Creek

Highline Trail

Chase Creek

$10.4 Million invested in the health of our communities & forests

Reduced high-severity wildfire risk on

3,529 acres

100 Cacti planted to restore Sonoran Desert habitat in the Bush Fire burn scar

Restored10 unique wet meadow acres

5.2 acres treated for invasive species

391

Preimplementation acres surveyed, designed & prepared for restoration in 2025: Volunteer hours. 200 volunteers.

220 acres

4,790

Cords of wood shared through Wood For Life

That’s enough to heat over 1,000 homes through a winter season! of habitat restored

of trail improved 21.7 miles

60+ Youth Engaged & Tonto Creek watersheds acres

7,500 Removed pounds of trash from Oak Creek

638 For pronghorn antelope and other grassland species

30,000

Number of people reached through Sonoran Insiders with responsible recreation and conservation messaging