ARIZONA – On a recent, chilly Arizona morning, 95 volunteers gathered in the desert at the Four Peaks Wilderness parking area on the Tonto National Forest to kick-off the 4th Annual Save Our Saguaros replanting event. In those four years, this event has grown exponentially from a few diehard volunteers, partners and Forest Service personnel to one of the most successful volunteer events on the Tonto.

In July 2020, the Bush Fire burned nearly 200,000 acres, including more than 80,000 saguaro cacti that are uniquely found in the Sonoran Desert. Saguaros are large cacti that can grow to 66 feet in height and whose branches, or “arms,” often are shaped like a candelabra. Their reddish-purple fruit can be used for food and drink.

In the months following this catastrophic fire, the community rallied to restore their beloved saguaros and the scorched desert with a cacti replanting event. From that small beginning, the event evolved into what is now known as the Save Our Saguaros restoration project.

Cultivating key relationships with partners such as Natural Restorations, National Forest Foundation, Arizona Wholesale Growers and the Four Peaks Brewing Company have been instrumental in sustaining restoration efforts in the Bush Fire burn area.   

This year, volunteers planted 100 1-foot saguaros. Through grant funding, the National Forest Foundation purchased 76 saguaros and Arizona Wholesale Growers donated the remaining 24 saguaros. 

Later in 2020 after the fire was contained, Natural Restorations co-founders Nicole and Justin Corey obtained a special permit to go into the Four Peaks area. They recognized that something had to be done to help Arizona’s beloved saguaros. Thus began the Save Our Saguaros event, spearheaded by Natural Restorations whose objective is to keep natural areas clean and open to the public.

"Save Our Saguaros is an opportunity for us to bring together community members of all ages to build a love for the Sonoran Desert and help us restore a fragile ecosystem not yet adapted to wildfires,” Nicole Corey said. “The annual event provides volunteers the opportunity to come back year after year to check on cacti they previously planted and see the progress our Dedicated Restoration Team has made replanting throughout the year. We are grateful to all of the volunteers and organizations that help make this annual event a success."

Since the Save Our Saguaros’ inaugural event, volunteers have planted approximately 930 cacti in the burn area. Outside of volunteer events, the Dedicated Restoration Team has planted over 4,270 cacti within this landscape.

The Sonoran Desert is a unique ecosystem and includes species like the saguaro cacti that are only found in the American Southwest. The loss of so many saguaros was devastating to many Arizonans given the slow growth rate of the cacti. A 10-year-old saguaro might only be 1.5 inches tall. Mature saguaros that people frequently see in Arizona are 40-60 feet tall and therefore decades to centuries old. 

The loss of so many cacti in the Bush Fire inspired organizations like Natural Restorations and volunteers to initiate an event to restore saguaros and many other species of cacti to the Sonoran Desert. 

Tonto National Forest personnel continue to grow the forest’s existing partnerships and expand involvement with other organizations to get Save the Saguaros and other projects completed that improve forest and watershed health on Arizona’s largest forest.