What is Legacy Tree Project?

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Stories & Impact

Our Stories of Student-Grown Native Trees

Follow the students, discoveries and experiences shaping the Legacy Tree Project, from the first seeds planted to the restoration work ahead.

Featured story

Following a Drop of Water: Our Day at OdySea Aquarium

Fifty sixth-grade students from Florence Unified School District's Circle Cross Ranch Elementary had the opportunity to spend the day exploring OdySea Aquarium through Natural Restorations' Legacy Tree Project. The stude…

Sep 11, 2026Read story

Circle Cross Ranch STEM - Brings The Legacy Tree Project to its community!

From Seeds in 2025 to Restoration in 2026 In March 2025, students planted native ironwood seeds at Circle Cross Ranch Elementary. Over the following months, they cared for the grow…

Sep 11, 2026Read story

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Your Story Helps Us Grow

Were you part of a Legacy Tree Project planting or growing day? We would love to hear from students, families, teachers and partners. Share a favorite moment, something you learned or an idea to help us improve.

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Student Impact

Connection, confidence, environmental knowledge, responsibility, stewardship, leadership and engagement.

School Impact

Curriculum, teacher training, growing infrastructure, green spaces and stronger community relationships.

Environmental Impact

Locally appropriate trees grown for restoration and community needs.

Community Impact

Students, families, schools, businesses and organizations doing something meaningful together.

Why restoration matters

A landscape worth restoring.

The burn scar where student-grown trees are headed shows what the 2020 Bush Fire left behind, and what active restoration can bring back.

Why restoration matters here. Saguaros, ironwoods and other native species can take decades or centuries to recover from fire damage on their own. Invasive weeds and shrubs can move in after a burn, increasing the risk of future fires. Without active restoration, the burn scar could struggle to recover its native plant communities.

See the burn scar for yourself

Natural Restorations’ page includes before-and-after photographs of the burn scar and the replanting work. We encourage you to explore them there.

Explore the Bush Fire Restoration Story

Be Part of the Story.

Students, families, schools and community partners all play a part in the Legacy Tree Project. Explore how you can get involved.

Explore Ways to Participate

Professional and conservation partners

Help Tell a Student-Grown Story.

Students at Arizona schools are growing native ironwood trees from seed and preparing to plant them in the Tonto National Forest. If you create conservation content, teach about native landscapes or cover restoration work, we would be glad to share what we have and hear what you would want to know.

Growing and planting records from real school cycles.
Photography and stories already cleared for public use.
A direct line to the people doing the work.

Start a conversation Explore the Education Program

Reaching out does not commit you or the program to anything. We will simply talk through what would be useful.

Sponsorship

$20

Sponsors a native tree.

$500

Sponsors 25 trees for one class.

$10,000

Sponsors one school growing cycle.

Any amount is welcome, donate what works for you.

Email Donate online 209-452-5588

Shared with permission.

Story

Circle Cross Ranch STEM - Brings The Legacy Tree Project to its community!

Sep 11, 2026

From Seeds in 2025 to Restoration in 2026

In March 2025, students planted native ironwood seeds at Circle Cross Ranch Elementary. Over the following months, they cared for the growing trees while learning about the Sonoran Desert and the conditions native plants need to survive.

Those trees were passed on to the next sixth-grade class, who continued caring for them while planting a new generation of seeds.

On November 14, 2026, students are preparing to plant 150 of those trees at the Bush Fire burn scar in Tonto National Forest alongside Natural Restorations and community volunteers.

At the end of the school year, the younger trees they've grown will be passed on to the next incoming sixth-grade class, continuing a tradition in which every group of students receives something to care for and leaves something growing for those who follow.