Northern Arizona Forest Fund - 2020-2021 Annual Report

N o r t he r n A r i zo na Fo rest Fund A nnua l Re po r t 2 0 2 0 ~ 2 0 21

Our health is dependent upon a sustainable connection with nature, and the simple act of walking in the outdoors, on our public lands is healing. It ultimately makes me a more grateful person.

—Sean McClue, Sonoran Insiders Ambassador Program, @az_chuckwalla

Arizona Forests Providing iconic views, water for communities, and connection to nature

The Northern Arizona Forest Fund (NAFF) is committed to protecting the health of our communities by improving local forest and watershed conditions, and securing clean and sustainable water supplies for downstream cities and throughout northern Arizona.

Since 2015, our projects continue to: reduce wildfire and flood risks, minimize erosion and sedimentation in our streams and reservoirs, improve degraded springs and wetlands, and restore and regenerate native trees and vegetation along rivers, streams, and springs.

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

Northern Arizona Forest Fund

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Northern Arizona Forest Fund

Salt and Verde River

By nurturing our local watersheds and the surrounding landscapes, we improve our quality of life through fresh air, clean and abundant water, and the beauty of the outdoors—from the iconic Sonoran desert, up to verdant high elevation forests.

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Wood for Life

In the past year, we’ve built a partnership that’s connected over 1,600 cords of wood from forest restoration projects with Hopi and Navajo communities in need of firewood.

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We are proud of these accomplishments!

Bill Williams Mountain

Despite covid-related challenges faced throughout

Wood for Life

this past year, we were able to

Recreation Management

VERDE RIVER WATERSHED

achieve some of our greatest accomplishments and

Oak Creek Trails

comprehensively, the most

Mexican Spotted Owl

successful years of project

Highline Trail

benefits to date.

Flowing Springs

From restoring crucial wildlife habitats across five

Little Green Valley Fen

Granite Basin

National Forests, to improving

Flying V&H

Cedar Bench

Wallow Tree Planting

Fossil Creek

SALT RIVER WATERSHED

Bush Fire

the quality and sustainability of our water supply, Arizona’s NFF team and our many partners continue to exceed expectations and reach new watershed

Sonoran Insiders

investment goals that ultimately move us toward healthier

PHOENIX METRO AREA

communities, connecting forests Lower Salt River

to water to quality of life.

Northern Arizona Forest Fund

2020-2021 Projects

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$11.8 Million

invested in the health of our communities & forests Restored forest health on

4,000 acres across Arizona watersheds.

Reduced the risk of high-severity fire on those acres by

30-60%

That is like reducing CO2 emissions from 8,000 cars!

100,000 trees along streams, meadows and wetlands.

Protected over

400 acres

of water into the Lower Salt River each year This is equivalent to filling more than 7,000 swimming pools each year!

Removed

Planted more than

Equivalent to saving 8 million pieces of junk mail from your mailbox!

80 million 23 miles gallons Replenished over

3,500

pounds of trash from Oak Creek watershed

of trail improved or rehabilitated

Reduced sediment transport into the Salt and Verde watersheds by more than

55 tons

This is equivalent the amount of trash produced by the average American over three years!

of riparian and wetland habitats providing places for birds, bugs, fish, deer, javelina, and so many more important wildlife species

This is like removing almost 10 dump trucks of dirt from our water supply each year!

Northern Arizona Forest Fund

2020-2021 Results

Featured Project Oak Creek Trail Restoration Oak Creek Canyon, part of the Verde River Watershed, is a breathtaking sanctuary cherished by adventure-lovers and highly sought out by travelers.

Due to its increasing popularity, more visitors has led to more boots on the ground and unsustainable or rogue trails. They cause erosion and downstream sediment build-up in the creek which degrades water quality and increases the risk of pathogenic contaminants. Waste and debris have also become a serious concern due to visitors lack of understanding of Leave No Trace principles, leading land managers to search for a solution.

The NFF and its partners are working together to stabilize and repair many of these user-created trails along the Creek to provide more sustainable and safe access, while also rehabilitating unauthorized trails that are significant conduits for sediment. To date, we’ve stabilized, rehabilitated, or improved over 300 individual trail segments!

Partners: REI, Coconino National Forest, the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, Oak Creek Watershed Council, and trail crews from Conservation Legacy’s Arizona Conservation Corps and Ancestral Lands Program.

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A Special Thank You to All Of Our Supporters!

Bringing health and economic resilience to families, communities, and local businesses across Arizona.

It takes everyone—invest in our water, air, and the forest and desert landscapes that make Arizona, Arizona!

Follow us on Instagram: Northern Arizona Forest Fund: @arizonaforests National Forest Foundation: @nationalforests Contact:

nationalforests.org Building 27, Suite 3 • Fort Missoula Rd • Missoula, MT 59804

Rebecca Davidson ~ Director, Southern Rockies Field Program Mobile: 720.749.9008 rdavidson@nationalforests.org

Sonoran Insiders: @sonoraninsiders