The National Forest Foundation and Salt River Project have a new partnership to help reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires across the Salt and Verde rivers watersheds.

The agreement will allow Tempe-based SRP “to continue providing an affordable and reliable water supply for the Phoenix metropolitan area,” a release from the utility company stated. 

The five-year agreement establishes a framework for the foundation and SRP to work together to fund forest restoration projects and programs throughout SRP’s watersheds.

SRP will donate $500,000 per year to NFF to help support specific forest restoration projects.

SRP will also be donating $25,000 per year to support NFF’s Wood For Life program. The WFL effort provides wood from forest restoration efforts to fuel Indigenous communities that rely on firewood to heat their homes.

Forest restoration projects generate small-diameter, low-value, woody material that often has no use, according to the release.

WFL salvages a portion of the timber and donates it to Navajo and Hopi partners. Tribal youth crews and tribal fire crews work to distribute the wood directly to elders and families in need.

“This exciting partnership will bolster ongoing work, seed new projects and leverage millions of dollars that will collectively benefit local communities and downstream water users,” Rebecca Davidson, NFF senior director of conservation programs, said.

The water that SRP supplies its 2.5 million customers originates from snow and rain that falls across 8.3 million acres of forested watershed in northern Arizona.

“We are grateful for NFF’s partnership on reducing wildfire risk and protecting critical water supplies. This long-term partnership commitment will help us accelerate the pace and scale of forest restoration in northern Arizona and help SRP achieve its forest health goal to help thin 500,000 acres by 2035,”  Elvy Barton, SRP manager of water and forest sustainability, said.