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For the Love of Joshua Trees
Joshua trees (Yucca brevifolia) stand in Joshua Tree National Park on July 23, 2021 near Twentynine Palms, California. The park is among California's most popular tourist destinations.
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Topline:
Joshua Trees are rare and native to our region, but in recent years they've become more susceptible to wildfire.
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For The Love Of Joshua Trees: Why They're More Vulnerable To Wildfire
Why it matters: Joshua Trees have been around for millions of years and can only be found in the Southwest. They've been impacted by wildfire in recent years, which years ago had been unheard of in the desert regions of California.
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Unlike other areas across the state, "these ecosystems in the desert where the Joshua Tree, the Yucca and other native plants live, they might see fire every few hundred years, like a long time ago," says LAist Science Reporter Jacob Margolis, "and now they're seeing it quite often primarily because of native grasses that have moved in. .. and help carry the fire."
Why now: Earlier this month, the York Fire in the Mojave Desert burned more than 90,000 acres, and did some major damage to the Joshua trees in the Mojave National Preserve.
What's next: Although trees may have burned, their roots may be unharmed, which means they could re-sprout. But it could take decades for them to fully recover.
For more, listen to Jacob's conversation with How to LA host Brian De Los Santos.
Go deeper: Joshua Trees Were Devastated By The Mojave Fire, But There Could Be Hope
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