Flagstaff Volunteers to Plant Trees in 70-Year Fire Scars

Forests that have stood barren for decades are about to get a second chance, thanks to volunteers in Flagstaff who are ready to get their hands dirty.

Coconino National Forest and partner organization Ecoculture are hosting two community tree planting events on August 9 and 16. Volunteers will plant across 700 acres damaged by five major wildfires, including the historic 1951 White Horse Fire and more recent blazes like the 2010 Schultz Fire and 2022 Pipe Fire.

These aren't ordinary burn scars. The fires burned so intensely that they killed nearly all existing trees, and many areas burned again in subsequent fires. That leaves behind what foresters call a clean slate, but also a landscape that won't naturally regenerate for hundreds of years without help.

Forest Service personnel will lead the charge starting August 3, working throughout the month alongside community members. The project tackles multiple environmental challenges at once, from reducing soil erosion to rebuilding wildlife habitat and restoring the timber base lost to flames.

Some of these fire scars have sat empty for over 70 years. Now local residents have the chance to plant the seeds of forests their grandchildren will walk through.

The Ripple Effect

This reforestation effort shows how communities can reverse decades of environmental damage in just a few weekends. Each tree planted helps stabilize soil that might otherwise wash away during Arizona's monsoon rains. Wildlife that abandoned these barren landscapes will slowly return as the forest canopy grows back.

The partnership between federal land managers and local volunteers also demonstrates a practical model for healing fire damaged landscapes across the West. With climate change increasing wildfire frequency and intensity, community driven restoration becomes more critical every year.

Anyone interested in volunteering can contact Wade Gibson at Ecoculture to reserve a spot at one or both August events. The work is physical but the impact lasts generations.

In places where wildfires once destroyed everything, new forests are about to rise.