Vandals Damage 12 Saguaros in Tonto Forest
Someone destroyed native cacti near Four Peaks that volunteers had replanted to restore land burned by the 2020 Bush Fire.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Botany
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Vandals damaged twelve saguaros and other native cacti near Four Peaks in Tonto National Forest between October 31 and November 1. The plants had been replanted by volunteers in 2020 and 2024 to restore land burned in the 2020 Bush Fire.
Why it matters
The damaged cacti were part of ongoing efforts to restore a landscape devastated by the Bush Fire, which killed an estimated 80,000 saguaros. The destruction sets back recovery work on the burned acreage.
Estimated ages of the damaged saguaros ranged from 30 to 60 years for the oldest, with the youngest about 10 years old. Some plants had 2 to 3 feet cut from their tops, and a 4-foot saguaro was carried into a nearby parking area and chopped up.
The players
Natural Restorations
Natural Restorations is an organization that rescues cacti threatened by development and replants them in burned landscapes across Arizona.
The details
Someone carried a 4-foot saguaro into a nearby parking and gathering area and chopped it up, and the damage also included six salvaged barrel cacti and four hedgehog cacti. Natural Restorations crews rescue cacti threatened by development by hand, transport them to a shaded nursery, and later replant them in the burned landscape.
Timeline
June 13, 2020: The Bush Fire began northeast of Phoenix and went on to burn more than 193,000 acres.
2020 and 2024: Volunteers replanted saguaros on the burned land.
October 31 to November 1, 2026: Vandals damaged the twelve saguaros and other cacti near Four Peaks.
Seasonal Patterns
The vandalism follows the 2020 Bush Fire, which began June 13, 2020, burned more than 193,000 acres and killed an estimated 80,000 saguaros in the Four Peaks area of Tonto National Forest. Replanting efforts in 2020 and 2024 were meant to recover that loss.
Arizona residents who visit desert parks and forests should expect that replanted saguaros may be damaged, and the vandalism affects the recovery of native cacti across the state's burned lands. Replanting work depends on the public leaving these plants undisturbed.
The takeaway
Protecting native cacti on public land requires the public to leave replanted plants alone, since each damaged saguaro takes decades to grow back. The Four Peaks damage shows how a single act can undo years of restoration work.
Further reading
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Source note: This article includes information reported by Accuweather.
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