Herbert Stash didn’t set out to start a nonprofit. A handful of years ago he was just doing what he knew how to do: to take care of his elders. Now Stash is the founder and executive director of the local nonprofit Warm Elders. The organization operates a wood bank out of Red Mesa in the Navajo Nation. They provide essential firewood to folks who are elderly, disabled or are veterans.
Stash grew up driving two to three hours “up the mountain” to harvest firewood with his parents. They would spend most of the day sawing and stacking wood. He learned how to handle a chainsaw and what kind of wood to look for.
“Every winter it is kind of your role to provide wood for your family,” Stash says. “Down home, as far as the culture base is, you always help your elders. It’s just one of the things that you are actually taught to do.”
Stash taught his three sons how to process firewood. The family would deliver wood to Stash’s mother on the Navajo Nation. Neighbors in need caught wind of the Stashes’ role in hauling wood. They requested that the Stashs collect some firewood for their homes as well.
A handful of years ago, they were supplying firewood to only a few houses. Now, through Warm Elders, the Stashes are providing firewood to nearly 300 homes.
The family-run operation is a small and mighty team, but just one family cannot harvest and process enough timber to support hundreds of homes on their own.
Two years ago, Stash developed a partnership with the Dolores Forest Service District of the San Juan National Forest out of Dolores, Colorado following the branch’s adoption of the Wood for Life program. Wood For Life is a series of partnerships that share the common goal of providing firewood to tribal communities. The firewood is a by-product of forest restoration efforts funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed by the Biden administration in 2021.
The restoration efforts support the overall health of the forest. For the Dolores Pine Belt, which is managed by the Dolores Ranger District, this means thinning trees. Simply stated, a forest with a diversity of tree sizes can better defend itself against uncharacteristic disturbances such as high-intensity wildfires, the beetle kill epidemic and subsequent Gamble oak overgrowth.
“The biggest trouble with restoration is finding outlets,” says David Casey, supervisory forester for the Dolores Ranger District of the San Juan National Forest. “Ponderosa pine is not a huge valuable resource after it’s been cut.”
“If we didn’t have an outlet for [the timber], that stuff would either stay standing and it would contribute to having too many trees out there, or it would be put in a pile and just burned on site,” Casey adds. “So it’s really cool to see it utilized, and even further, utilized in underserved communities. It’s a win-win for the forest and the folks that need wood.”
The Forest Service handles harvesting the timber through the cut, skid and deck stages.
“This turns the tree essentially into a log which is then loaded onto a log truck and transported to the wood bank,” Casey explains.
Last year Warm Elders received seventeen semi-truckloads of timber. Just one semi-truck is approximately twenty cords of firewood, enough to heat around 6 homes all winter.
Wood is delivered to the wood bank at no cost through grants secured by the Forest Service and the National Forest Foundation, a partner organization that builds bridges between the Forest Service and communities.
“The great thing about the National Forest Foundation is that where the Forest Service ends is at the boundary of the forest. And then this partner steps in and makes that connection with the chapter houses or Herbert…[It] takes that money out to the public. It gets that money from Washington to the folks that need it,” Casey explains.
Grants also enabled the Forest Service to provide Warm Elders with updated tools that encouraged safer and more efficient wood harvesting.
But the grants have not financed the whole effort. Consistent financial support is coming from the family members that operate Warm Elders, many of whom work full-time jobs here in Moab.
Stash, family members, and volunteers further process and prepare the wood. Work weeks are divided into processing days and distribution days to keep the operation focused and organized.
Folks receiving firewood are encouraged to pick up their allotment from the wood bank, but some people do not have a means to get to Red Mesa or the ability to load and unload the wood themselves. Warm Elders has been known to deliver firewood to folks in need over two hours away from their wood site.
In 2023, the program ran out of wood before the winter’s end. Given the limited supply of material and additional resources, Warm Elders has adopted an application program to ensure that the folks who are most in need of firewood are receiving assistance.
“The bottom line is we want to target the elderly that really need it,” says Tyrese Stash, the eldest son of Herbert and Charlene Stash. “In a wayk they feel forgotten until we go out there and help them and talk with them.”
Some elderly folks live alone and the Stash family would hear about their dire situations through word of mouth.
“They’re burning tires or just whatever they have in their home to stay warm,” Tyrese continues. “We are glad that we are able to help them out in that way.”
People can apply for wood allotments for themselves or others on the Warm Elders website. If folks are not elderly, disabled or are not veterans but need firewood to stay warm through the winter, they can trade volunteer time for firewood with Warm Elders.
The success of the project also requires the support of volunteers.
Folks can assist by chopping, stacking and loading logs. Anyone interested in operating machinery will receive training to do so safely.
Stash says that part of his vision was to target individuals that have equipment, such as a chainsaw or an axe, at home. They can learn how to use their personal equipment and return home with these developed skills.
If people interested in volunteering with wood processing do not have their own personal protective equipment, Warm Elders has glasses, gloves, chaps and ear plugs available.
“They just have to come with their boots on,” Stash says.
Manual labor is only a part of the effort and is not required to lend a helping hand. Volunteers can prepare meals to support the other volunteers at the wood site. They can assist with fundraising, advertisement or other forms of outreach.
Donations are also crucial to the success of the project. Warm Elders has partnered with Mad Moose, an organization that puts on running races in the Moab area. When folks sign up for a race with Mad Moose, they will have the option to donate to Warm Elders.
If you or someone you know lives on the Navajo Reservation and are curious about qualifying to receive firewood from Warm Elders, you can apply for yourself or the person in need through their website.
If you are interested in volunteering or donating to support the generous work of Warm Elders, you can also do so on their website, www.warmelders.com.
