As Woodbury Fire burns, crews fight to save ancient Mother Tree in the Superstitions

Medusa. Mother. El Viejo.

This ancient tree in the Tonto National Forest has gone by many names.

Its exact age isn't known, but experts with the Tonto National Forest estimate it is between 600 and 1,000 years old.

The Medusa Mother Tree, an alligator juniper named for the flakiness of its bark, has survived many fires in its lifetime, signified by the scars on its branches.

This week, firefighters worked to make sure the Woodbury Fire, which has now burned almost 80,000 acres in the Superstition Wilderness, didn't cut its life short.

"They did take extra efforts to put some protection measures in place in the area, and they think that was successful," said Kay Beall, a fire information officer.

Where is the Medusa Mother Tree?

The tree sits approximately 4,900 feet into the Superstition Wilderness in a wide, flat valley near Reavis Ranch, according to the Tonto National Forest.

Reavis Ranch was named after Elisha Reavis, better known as the Hermit of the Superstition Mountains. Beginning in 1876, Reavis lived on his ranch in the Superstitions, growing cabbages, parsnips and potatoes — with an apple orchard that still exists today.

As the Woodbury Fire began to spread, people began posting on Facebook, concerned about the fate of the tree and inquiring what was being done to save it.

In an effort to protect the area, firefighters dropped chemical-filled ping-pong ball-like spheres from the air to start a low-intensity fire around the Medusa Mother tree to burn off fuels.

"When the wildfire approaches, the idea is that it would lay down because the fuels have already been exhausted," Beall said.

Woodbury Fire personnel reported on Tuesday that efforts in the Reavis Ranch area to protect the tree, the apple orchard and the Mexican spotted owl habitat were successful, saying the fire had passed through the area.

What's next for the Woodbury Fire?

The Woodbury Fire increased by more than 14,000 acres on Friday night, Tonto National Forest officials reported early Saturday morning.

More than 1,000 firefighters are now battling the human-caused blaze.

Residents of the Roosevelt and Roosevelt Lake area were told Thursday to evacuate by the Gila County Sheriff's Office. The order affected about 250 residences. A temporary shelter facility was set up at Lee Kornegay School, at 4735 S. Ragus Road in Miami.

Officials closed the Superstition Wilderness and campgrounds along State Highway 188 east of Roosevelt Dam, according to a Saturday report.

As for the tree, Beall said that while initial efforts to protect it appeared successful, fire crews have not yet been able to assess the situation from the ground.

"They've been pretty busy chasing the rest of it, so I don't know if anybody has specifically been back on the ground yet to check it out," she said.

For details about the Woodbury Fire, information lines are available at 480-288-6110 and 505-399-2439. The lines are open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

For information about evacuations, shelters, livestock and pet shelters, call Gila County Emergency Management at 928-402-8888 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Have a tip? Reach the reporter Lorraine Longhi at llonghi@gannett.com or 480-243-4086. Follow her on Twitter @lolonghi.

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