King of the cactus family lives on

ARIZONA — The saguaro cactus is a centuries-old icon of Arizona’s landscape, having appeared in more movies than actor John Wayne. Additionally, placement of the cactus in cartoons such as the “Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote” imprinted the saguaro on generations of impressionable young viewers.

These jolly green giants of the Sonoran Desert reach heights of 40 to 60 feet and can weigh between two and three tons. Saguaros stand as large green pillars atop the dusty landscape, welcoming visitors with open “arms.”

However, as a native plant in the Sonoran Desert, saguaros did not evolve in a fire-adapted ecosystem. With wildfires in the Sonoran Desert growing in size, duration and destructivity over the past 40 years, more and more saguaros are dying.

Saguaros’ vulnerability to wildfires was highlighted in the summer of 2020 when a burning vehicle ignited the Bush Fire on the Tonto National Forest. Between June 13 and July 6, the fire scorched 193,455 acres on the forest’s Mesa and Tonto Basin Ranger Districts in the Four Peaks Area. As it grew into the fifth largest wildfire in state history, the Bush Fire burned an estimated 80,000 saguaros.

Four years later, Tonto staff such as Drew Ullberg and Bec Veerman remain undaunted as they continue to explore creative ways to obtain and replant saguaros in the Bush Fire burn scar.  

“It involves partnering and collaborating with nurseries, local businesses and soliciting federal funding,” said Veerman, the south zone partnerships and volunteer coordinator on the Tonto. “It includes hosting meetings and engaging with non-profit organizations like the National Forest Foundation and Natural Restorations to aid in replanting saguaros in the burn scar.” 

Good fortune smiled on the Tonto during restoration planning with Arizona Wholesale Growers. 

“The company experienced its own fire that damaged 80 saguaros,” Veerman said. “They no longer could sell those saguaros and graciously donated them to us. We also were fortunate to salvage saguaros and other cacti from the Bureau of Land Management outside of Wickenburg [Arizona] in 2021.”

Ullberg, the forest biologist on the Tonto, saw the devastation firsthand during his post-fire visit to the burn scar.

“As the fire ripped through the area, some burned saguaros died instantly,” Ullberg said. “Others lived an additional two or three years from stored water in the cacti before eventually dying.”

Forest Service staff removed unharmed arms from these saguaros and placed the arms in a nursery where they received necessary nutrients to promote growth of new roots. 
“If all goes well, the arms are replanted in or around the same location prior to the fire,” Veerman said. “And they have a 20- to 30-year head start compared to saguaros grown from seeds.”

Even with public support, Veerman and Ullberg acknowledge that reintroducing saguaros to levels prior to the Bush Fire will take several years. The timeline is partially dependent on whether replanted saguaros fully take root in the Sonoran Desert that occupies the southern half of Arizona. Overall, this desert covers approximately 100,387 square miles of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico.

Saguaros grow slowly, averaging between 1 and 1.5 inches in their first eight years. When one dies it takes over a century to replace it as saguaros do not reach adulthood until around age 125.

Replanting saguaros supports forest restoration, a foundational component of the Tonto National Forest Land Management Plan. Reforestation aids the environment by preserving biodiversity within the ecosystem.

“Many people think the Sonoran Desert is barren but it’s brimming with life and serves as a keystone ecosystem for the nation,” Veerman said. “Saguaros play a key role by providing shelter, food, and nesting sites for many animals. Their iconic status continues to inspire efforts to preserve the cactus as well as the unique desert ecosystem it anchors.”