As someone who grew up with more street light than star light, the National Forests give me the opportunity to connect with a natural night sky. The serendipity I experience under a truly dark sky is only possible through the conservation efforts of organizations like the National Forest Foundation. — Isaiah Ortiz, Sonoran Insiders Program, @isaiah.ortiz_
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.
By nurturing our local watersheds and 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— these are the sources of water in Arizona.
In the past two years, we’ve built a sustainable, long-term collaborative program that’s connected over 1,000 cords of wood from forest restoration projects with Hopi and Navajo communities in need of wood for heating, cooking, and other traditional uses.
NAFF investments result in measurable on-the-ground benefits!
The Highline Trail is a historic route that was cut in the late 1800s and believed to be used as a travel corridor to connect homesteads and communities around the towns of Payson and Pine along the iconic Mogollon Rim. Today many sections of the 50-mile trail are losing tread and significantly eroded. Conditions have been further exacerbated by several fires in recent years, resulting in many sections of trail requiring heavy maintenance or even reroutes.
The NFF and community partners initiated the Highline Trail Restoration Initiative to restore the iconic National Recreation Trail for the enjoyment of all, for the long-term sustainability of the trail itself, and to protect the surrounding watershed landscape. The NFF and partners are working to improve access and sustainability from Washington Park to Pine Trailheads, and then from Washington Park to 260 Trailheads; more than 50 miles of access for visitors, locals, hunters, hikers, mountain bikers and equestrian riders!
Views for Miles
The trail traverses more than 50 scenic miles of open vistas through brushy hills of Manzanita and stands of Ponderosa Pine just below the Mogollon Rim, a steep escarpment defining the southwestern ridge of the Colorado Plateau.
By improving trail and access conditions, this initiative will also prevent erosion downstream, reducing sedimentation, and ensure that watershed health is improved throughout the Verde River system.
• Arizona Trail Association
• Catena Foundation
• MHA Foundation
• Mogollon Sporting Association
• Pine Strawberry Fuel Reduction Inc.
• Pink Jeep Tours
• REI
• Rim Country Mountain Bike Association
• Tonto National Forest
• Wild Arizona
Our goal is to provide an upgraded and improved non-motorized trail that is safer for hikers, bikers, and equestrian riders looking to connect to the wild outdoors and appreciate the natural world through outdoor recreation.
Contact:
Sasha Stortz ~ Sr. Program Manager, Southwest Field Region
Mobile: 928.961.0318 • sstortz@nationalforests.org
Bringing health and economic resilience to families, communities, and businesses across Arizona. Every contribution helps maintain clean air and sustainable water supplies, healthy forests to explore, running streams to picnic along, and safe, sustainable trails that provide amazing experiences and that also protect our watersheds.
Follow us on Instagram:
Northern Arizona Forest Fund: @southwestforests_nff for NAFF National Forest Foundation: @nationalforests
Sonoran Insiders: @sonoraninsiders
