#joshua-trees

#joshua-trees

She parted some creosote branches to reveal a shriveled shrub, just ankle-high. This doomed seedling was part of a National Park Service planting effort to replace dozens of Joshua trees cut down by a Southern California Edison contractor tasked with protecting the company's power lines. But of the 193 babies planted here roughly five years ago, only 27, or 14%, are still alive, according to the Park Service. If researchers don't figure out why so few survived, an imperiled icon of the California desert may disappear even more quickly.

The western Joshua tree conservation plan compiles scientific research and traditional ecological knowledge to identify areas where the plant may thrive in a warmer future.

"This area is important for the long-term survival of the Joshua trees," Rockwell said. "It's that last refuge."