Restoring Fire-Adapted Forests Near Flagstaff
The Flagstaff Watershed & Infrastructure Protection Project is a multi-year effort on the Coconino National Forest focused on restoring forest health and reducing the risk of severe wildfire in northern Arizona.
Led by the National Forest Foundation in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service and local partners, this work supports safer communities, healthier forests, and long-term landscape resilience.
A Landscape-Scale Restoration Effort
The Flagstaff Watershed & Infrastructure Protection Project spans roughly 5,300 acres on the Flagstaff Ranger District of the Coconino National Forest. The work is organized across several project areas and is being implemented over multiple years to ensure treatments are effective, carefully planned, and responsive to on-the-ground conditions.
This effort is part of a broader strategy to restore forest ecosystems that evolved with frequent, low-intensity fire — ecosystems that are now at greater risk due to decades of fire suppression, drought, and changing climate conditions.
What Forest Restoration Looks Like on the Ground
Restoration treatments focus on improving forest structure and reducing fuels that can drive severe wildfire. This includes a mix of mechanical thinning, hand thinning, timber stand improvement, slash treatment, and targeted road work needed to support safe and effective operations.
Treatments are designed to reduce overcrowding, remove ladder fuels that allow fire to climb into tree canopies, and create more resilient forest conditions.
Why This Work Matters Here
This restoration work is strategically located near communities, watersheds, and Department of Defense assets in northern Arizona. By reducing wildfire intensity and improving forest health, the project helps protect nearby homes, safeguard water supplies that serve the City of Flagstaff, and reduce the risk of catastrophic fire and post-fire flooding in the area.
The Flagstaff Watershed & Infrastructure Protection Project is part of a broader, coordinated approach to wildfire resilience in the region, supported in part by the Northern Arizona Forest Fund. Together, these efforts demonstrate how public-private partnerships can accelerate restoration at scale and deliver lasting benefits for people, forests, and critical landscapes.
Your support helps advance large-scale forest restoration, reduce wildfire risk, and protect communities and watersheds near Flagstaff. Together, we can restore healthier, more resilient forests for the future.
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