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| Tonto National Forest | |
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| Location | Gila,Maricopa,Yavapai, andPinal counties,Arizona, U.S. |
| Nearest city | Payson,Arizona |
| Coordinates | 33°48′N111°18′W / 33.8°N 111.3°W /33.8; -111.3 |
| Area | 2,873,200 acres (11,627 km2) |
| Established | 1905 |
| Visitors | 5,922,000 (in 2005) |
| Governing body | United States Forest Service |
| Website | Tonto National Forest |
TheTonto National Forest, encompassing 2,873,200 acres (1,162,700 ha; 11,627 km2), is the largest of the sixnational forests inArizona and is the ninth largest national forest in the United States.[1][2] The forest has diverse scenery, with elevations ranging from 1,400 feet (427 m) in theSonoran Desert to 7,400 feet (2,256 m) in theponderosa pine forests of theMogollon Rim (pronounced MOH-gee-on, or MUH-gee-own). The Tonto National Forest is also one of the most visited"urban" forests in the United States.[3]
The boundaries of the Tonto National Forest are thePhoenix metropolitan area to the south, the Mogollon Rim to the north and theSan Carlos andFort Apache Indian Reservation to the east. The Tonto (Spanish for "foolish") is managed by theUSDAForest Service and its headquarters are in Phoenix. There are localranger district offices inGlobe,Mesa,Payson,Roosevelt,Scottsdale, andYoung.[4]
On June 13, 2020, a wildfire ignited in the Tonto Basin area. The Bush Fire, as it was named, burned 193,455 acres (783 km2), becoming Arizona's fifth largest fire on record. The fire was sufficiently contained by July 1, prompting the Incident Management Team to transition control to the Forest Service, which subsequently conducted a Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) assessment to begin rehabilitation efforts. Investigators determined the fire was human-caused.[5][6]
Many wildlife species inhabit the forest including Colorado desertraccoons,bald eagles,New Mexico black bears,Mearns coyotes, Arizonaskunks,bobcats,greater roadrunners,prairie falcons,Coues'white-tailed deer,long-eared owls, desertmule deer,Western red-tailed hawks,Great blue herons,North American cougars,American barn owls,ring-tailed cats,American kestrels,pronghorns,javelinas, andRocky Mountain elk.[citation needed]
The Tonto National Forest has six cold water reservoirs:
These four are created by theSalt River chain of dams:
There are eight federally designatedwilderness areas within (or partially within) the Tonto National Forest:[7]
A portion of theVerde Wild and Scenic River also lies within the forest.
The Tonto Forest Reserve was established on October 3, 1905 by theUnited States General Land Office. In 1906 the forest reserves were transferred to theU.S. Forest Service, and on March 4, 1907 Tonto became a National Forest. On January 13, 1908 thePinal Mountains National Forest was added along with other lands. On July 1, 1908 part ofBlack Mesa National Forest and other lands were added, and on July 1, 1953 part ofCrook National Forest was added.[8]
A land swap proposed as a part of the 2015National Defense Authorization Act would permit a subsidiary of theRio Tinto mining conglomerate,Resolution Copper Co., to acquire 2,422 acres of the Tonto National Forest, considered sacred by theSan Carlos Apache Tribe, for purposes ofcopper mining. This proposal, in Section 3003, titled "Southeast Arizona Land Exchange", is strongly opposed by manyNative Americans, including the 57 member tribes of The Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians, and by the Great Plains Tribal Chairmen's Association.[9]
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