Each summer, smoky skies mark the arrival of wildfire season in the Southwest, and the threat of big blazes haunts communities until monsoon rains arrive and douse the thirsty forests.
Throughout the past several decades, the intensity and size of wildfires has grown dramatically. They burn hotter and longer than ever before. These infernos threaten to destroy homes and buildings, increase erosion, and harm wildlife habitat. Add in climate change, prolonged drought, and shrinking snowpack, and the need for forest restoration has never been greater.
The Trust has been a leading force in forest restoration since the mid 1990s. We work at local and state levels, as well as across the West, to address wildfire and climate change. Here’s how:
In northern Arizona, where the forests are dense and dry, we're working to minimize the threat of severe wildfire. Learn about the Four Forest Restoration Initiative (4FRI) ›
When most people think of Arizona, they think of cactus. But the northern part of the state is home to the largest contiguous ponderosa pine forest in the world. We’re working on a long term, large-scale project to restore forests in northern Arizona so they pose less threat of destructive wildfire. By partnering with the Forest Service, wood products industry, and others, we're cleaning out understories with presecribed burns, managed wildfire, and mechanical thinning across 2.4 million acres. More on 4FRI ›
Why should you care about protecting the woods? For starters, it could save millions of tax payer dollars. Read our seven reasons for forest restoration ›
Climate change is wringing what little water we have out of our arid lands, and we're helping plants and animals adapt to a hotter, drier future.
We’re studying climate change on the north rim of the Grand Canyon to determine which plant species grow best in the parched conditions. If wildfires sweep through our forests and burn climate-stressed trees, it’s unlikely the trees will re-seed at their former elevation. Our research can help these plants move to high ground for better growing conditions. Learn more about our climate change research ›
The top sources of greenhouse gas emissions on the Colorado Plateau are electricity, transportation, and oil and gas production.
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Federal funding to properly close abandoned oil and gas wells across the Colorado Plateau will reduce harmful methane pollution.
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