It’s hard to remember a summer without a catastrophic wildfire. After a century of fire suppression, many forests are now overgrown. In an unhealthy forest, it’s common to find smaller trees and brush crowding larger trees.
When wildfires hit these forests, the smaller, shorter trees cause the flames to rise higher into the tops of trees instead of burning low to the ground. When fire reaches the treetops, or crown, it’s called a crown fire. Crown fires burn hotter and faster with devastating effects.
Fire and water
Wildfires affect not only the daily lives and economies of our neighboring forest communities but also our water quality. In the Valley, we depend on surface water that originates from winter snow runoff across watersheds — areas of land that drain water into streams, lakes and reservoirs. When fire scorches the forest floor, water runs across the soil faster. This brings more dirt into SRP’s reservoirs, which can cause water quality and resiliency challenges.
Helping Arizona’s forests
Hundreds of thousands of forested acres are overgrown, at high risk of experiencing catastrophic wildfire and in need of restoration, according to the Four Forest Restoration Initiative (4FRI). SRP is working closely with the U.S. Forest Service, the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management and other funding partners to increase the pace and scale of forest restoration. Through the SRP Healthy Forest Initiative™, SRP and our customers can help restore the forests of the Salt and Verde River and East Clear Creek watersheds. When customers contribute to the program, SRP provides matching funds up to $200,000 annually.
Together through restoration, we can protect people, communities and the watersheds we depend on.
In addition to support from our customers, several large commercial companies, including PepsiCo, Google, Meta, Apple and EdgeCore, have joined the cause by contributing funds to help restore the area near the Mogollon Rim that was destroyed by the Dude Fire in 1990.
SRP cares for forests
It’s no wonder SRP has been investing in forest health for the last decade. As the Valley’s largest supplier of raw water, SRP operates seven dams and reservoirs across the 8.3-million-acre Salt and Verde River and East Clear Creek watersheds. These reservoirs play a major part in our lives, storing water for when the Valley needs it most while generating sustainable, renewable hydropower for thousands of homes.
“We are so appreciative of our customers who see the value in forest health and want to be a part of the solution to help prevent devastating wildfires,” said Elvy Barton, SRP Senior Manager of Water and Forest Sustainability.
