Friends of Northern Arizona Forests

October 2026

State of the Organization

by Bob Dyer, FoNAF President

The FoNAF management team will have a new look for 2027 after Tom Mackin, Vice President, and I are stepping away from our offices. Of course, we will still be on the Board of Directors and Tom will continue on as our Outdoor Coordinator. 

Two of FoNAF’s current board members were elected to replace us at the October 21, 2026 Board of Directors meeting: 

Rick Kalinowski   President

Dick Coast            Vice President

Both gentlemen are long-term FoNAF members and very active with the Aspen Team, as well as participating in other team projects.  They bring enthusiasm, energy, new ideas, and a continued commitment to fulfilling FoNAF’s mission to the Forest Service.  Rob Vane, Treasurer, and Diane Vosik, Secretary, will continue on the board in their respective officer positions.

Three new board of directors have been added beginning FY2027: Holly Maszk, Kim Sims, and Ken Krenke.  Pat Stein has renewed her board membership.  By adding the three new members, the board anticipates expanded sharing of program responsibilities such as recruiting new members and advancing FoNAF’s story in the community.  Two of our long-term directors did not renew their board memberships: Jim McGeorge (2009) and Jim Hoyne (2011).  We thank them for their service to FoNAF as directors, but know they’ll still be participating with us in the field.

FoNAF has again this year made huge contributions toward enhancing the health and safety of our forests.  Our total membership number is solid and our treasury is strong.  It’s difficult to express how grateful I am as president to all our members for what we have accomplished.

Summary of Volunteer Hours for FY2026

Our volunteer hours for 2026 have once again exceeded the previous year’s totals.  We are very proud of the enthusiasm and commitment demonstrated throughout our work season and year-round by those performing important non-field support duties.  Almost 7000 hours donated by our volunteers reflects that dedication.

Aspen Team:              3560

Cross-Cut Team                        836  

PSAR (all volunteers)             1146

Exclosure Stewards                   319

Lopping Team                           274

Individual Hours*:              757

Total Volunteer Hours            6892

           (2025 = 6931)          

*Individual hours are for non-field activities such fulfilling a range of administrative duties, reconning work sites, equipment purchases and maintenance

Team Highlights and Accomplishments

Aspen Team   Tom Mackin, Outdoor Coordinator

The Aspen Team started project efforts in early April 2026 and hope to wrap up by October 27th, a total of 60 days in the field, not counting individual exclosure monitoring events.

We will have completed 55 separate projects, with an emphasis this year on fence modifications to benefit wildlife movement in the vicinity of the new I-17 wildlife overpass. In addition, some of the approximately 3600 team hours were spent enlarging 3 existing trick tank aprons, constructing over 9000’ of new log worm fences for meadow and wetland protection and complete removal of almost 18 miles of unnecessary pasture or allotment fences. That equated to over 50,000 pounds of old wire and t posts off the landscape.

We had excellent group participation, with over 50% of the FoNAF membership assisting on at least one field day. Equally important was the fact that we did all this without any significant injuries or vehicle mishaps. This was our 17th year of field work and our support for the Forest Service and the Arizona Game and Fish Department just continues to grow.

Cross-Cut Sawyer Team    Jim McGeorge, Coordinator

On most every Monday during the season a group of FoNAF volunteers hike regional trails to remove fallen trees, to trim branches hanging over trails and to remove hazardous material on the trails.

Below are a few key statistics for their 2025-2026 season:

• ·        308 Trees removed from 15 trails (includes 3 Wilderness area and Ranger District  Trails)
• ·        30 X-Cut Outings plus 2 Log Splitting Sessions
• ·        10 Sawyers are on the team; 7 with x-cut certifications
• ·        Ken Ellers on the Kaibab NF added to these productivity numbers.

The X-Cut Team’s primary mission is to saw and remove trees that have fallen across some of the 420 miles of trails in the Flagstaff Ranger District.  Because the team’s focus is on Wilderness areas, manual cross-cut saws must be used since mechanical tools are prohibited.  The X-Cut team is often called to venture beyond Wilderness territories. 

PSAR Team   Holly Maszk, Coordinator

Once again, the PSAR volunteers fulfilled the high expectations from the Forest Service for delivering a valued service to hikers this season at the Humphreys Peak Trailhead.  Volunteers work the trailhead every weekend and all holidays during the season, making sure visitors received valuable information about trail conditions, safety, preparedness, and wilderness ethics.

The statistical accomplishments for the PSAR team of eight volunteers this year are once again very impressive.  Below are the highlights;

• ·        48 days at the trailhead. Sunny, cloudy, rain, hail, lightning, & snow.
• ·        Interacted with 20,000+ people throughout the season.
• ·        11 minor incidents ranging from scraped knees, hypothermia, lost items,
• ·        3 fires called in to dispatch; 2 became the Spring Fire and Galinas

FoNAF’s PSAR role in preventing emergencies on the mountain was confirmed by the official Coconino County Search and Rescue data of 8 rescues total, and only 3 were on a weekend day when our PSAR team was on duty.  Of the 20,000 hikers screened at the trailhead this year by our PSAR volunteers, having only three emergencies occur reinforces the importance of PSAR in mitigating expensive mountain calls by Search and Rescue services.

Aspen Exclosure Stewards   Sue Priest/Kim Sims, Co-coordinators

After many years coordinating and enhancing FoNAF’s Aspen Exclosure Stewardship progam, Sue handed the program to board member Kim Sims for the fall portion of the year.  Kim is now the contact for spring and fall exclosure checks by our volunteers and will be keeping the database up to date for both the Coconino and the Kaibab National Forests exclosures. Thanks to Kim for volunteering to take on the coordination of this important program.

It’s important to note that Sue was instrumental in designing and implementing an enhanced reporting system and on-site questionnaire for the collection of very useful data on exclosure conditions (non-fencing) at the fall exclosure checks.  She crafted a comprehensive questionnaire that provides feedback on aspen rejuvenation, invasive pines, and diseased trees in and around the exclosure for Mark Nabel, Silviculturist.   

Lopping Team    Rob Vane, Coordinator

The Lopping Team’s mission is to cut down small pine saplings in and around exclosures, allowing aspens to thrive by reducing competition for sun and nutrients with the pines.

The team completed their first full season in 2026, cutting saplings while verifying the effectiveness of a combination of power brush cutters and traditional manual loppers.  Specific accomplishments are highlighted below:

For Mark Nabel (Silviculture):

-  Lopped high priority exclosures

-  Supported an experimental forest research project by removing non-study trees.

-  Began what will be an ongoing series of meadow restoration projects

For Amyann Madara (Wildlife):

-  Lopped over 100 acres of pronghorn habitat

-  Removed bull thistle in a sensitivity habitat area for spotted owl habitat

President’s Closing Message

As outgoing president, a final comment is to express my sincere appreciation and thanks to all our volunteers for the outstanding work they have done in 2026 and over the many years since FoNAF was founded in 2009.  Our new leadership is solid and committed to guiding the organization toward even greater results and volunteer satisfaction in 2027. FoNAF is a wonderful organization and will continue to fulfill its mission to the Forest Service well into the future.

I also want to thank our Forest Service representatives who support us throughout the years, providing guidance, projects, and the necessary tools for doing our many jobs successfully and safely.

Bob Dyer                                                              

President, FoNAF