About Ironwood Forest
The landscape of the Ironwood Forest National Monument is swathed with the rich, drought-adapted vegetation of the Sonoran Desert. The monument contains objects of scientific interest throughout its desert environment. Stands of ironwood, palo verde, and saguaro blanket the monument floor beneath the rugged mountain ranges, including the Silver Bell Mountains. Ragged Top Mountain is a biological and geological crown jewel amid the depositional plains in the monument.
The monument presents a quintessential view of the Sonoran Desert with ancient legume and cactus forests. The geologic and topographic variability of the monument contributes to the area's high biological diversity. Ironwoods, which can live in excess of 800 years, generate a chain of influences on associated understory plants, affecting their dispersal, germination, establishment, and rates of growth. Ironwood is the dominant nurse plant in this region, and the Silver Bell Mountains support the highest density of ironwood trees recorded in the Sonoran Desert. Ironwood trees provide, among other things, roosting sites for hawks and owls, forage for desert bighorn sheep, protection for saguaro against freezing, burrows for tortoises, flowers for native bees, dense canopy for nesting of white-winged doves and other birds, and protection against sunburn for night blooming cereus.
Threats to the Existence and Protection of Ironwood National Monument
The Monument is threatened by mining, ASARCO a mining company is pushing to place a mine right outside the boundaries of the monument.
Ironwood Forest Facts
- Location: 25 miles northwest of Tucson, and about one hour by highway south of Phoenix
- Size: 129,000 acres
- Date: Ironwood Forest National Monument was created on June 9, 2000
- Managing Agency: The Bureau of Land Management
Partner Groups
Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection
Sonoran Institute
Sierra Club
Arizona Wilderness Coalition
