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ST. GEORGE — An estimated 2.5 million Joshua trees died in forest fires in 2020 and 2023, according to reports, but national conservation efforts are struggling, with only 20% of baby Joshua trees planted expected to survive.
However, the nonprofit Conserve Southwest Utah told KSL.com it has an 80% survival rate for the Joshua trees it plants.
What are Joshua trees and why do they matter?
Joshua trees are found naturally only within the Mojave Desert — which includes portions of Utah, California, Nevada and Arizona.
It is believed the tree was named by early Latter-day Saint pioneers who crossed the Colorado desert and thought the trees' upturned branches looked like the biblical prophet Joshua beseeching the heavens, the University of California Riverside's Palm Desert Research Center said.
Some evidence suggests pioneers thought the plants' sharp, blade-like leaves were reminiscent of Joshua's army and his role as a war leader in Bible stories, according to the Joshua Tree National Park website.
Joshua trees are considered a "keystone species," meaning they act as hosts for multiple rare bird, reptile, insect and mammal species which are likely to go extinct without them — and, in turn, threaten the entire Mojave Desert ecosystem, NBC notes.
"Birds can perch high enough to get away from predators on the ground, and be protected within the spiny leaves," said Fred Armstrong, stewardship coordinator at Conserve Southwest Utah. "If the area were to completely lose the Joshua trees, we would also see a decrease in the diversity of bird and small mammal species."
This is definitely a legacy project. Those of us working with these 1- to 18-inch-high plants will never see them as a mature forest.
– Fred Armstrong, Conserve Southwest Utah
In recent decades, the desert has emerged as a "climate change hot spot," which has experienced more frequent and extreme droughts and temperature spikes. As the desert has gotten hotter and drier, wildfires have increased and Joshua tree populations plummeted.
Already, the desert has experienced a 43% decline in the diversity of its bird species, Joshua Tree National Park reports.
Saving the Joshua trees — and the entire Mojave Desert — will require additional research, restoration and repopulation projects.
How one Utah program is exceeding the national expectations
After years of the most severe drought in Utah's history were broken by a wet and snowy winter last year, Conserve Southwest Utah recognized it as the perfect time to attempt to restore vegetation on fire scars, Armstrong said. By planting the saplings in March, their roots could develop before the summer heat became intense.
Armstrong convinced the Bureau of Land Management district biologist that the two organizations should cooperate to plant Joshua trees on a fire scar in the Beaver Dam Wash Conservation Area in southern Utah.
The project started small, with just 42 Joshua tree saplings and 14 prickly pear cactuses. The Bureau of Land Management provided the plants; Conserve Southwest Utah provided the volunteers.
Volunteers then returned from May to September to water the trees and help them survive the heat of summer.
"We had 80% survival rate of that small restoration grove, mainly because the plants were a bit older and already had some natural protection ... of their stem, but also because of the supplemental water we provided to get them established," Armstrong said.
"Young, natural seedlings need to grow within the protection of another shrub or woody debris for a few years so that native herbivores like ground squirrels or rabbits have a hard time getting to them," Armstrong said. "If they are able to spend the first few years driving their roots down to a natural water source while growing under some protection, they should be able to thrive and withstand native herbivores."
Conserve Southwest Utah also covered the saplings with staked-down poultry wire cages to provide a degree of protection until they established their own roots systems, he added.
This takes years, though, because Joshua trees only grow between 1 and 3 inches annually, and live an average of 150 years — though large plants are much older. Conserve Southwest Utah waited until the trees were three years old before planting them, unlike many other programs.
"This is definitely a legacy project," Armstrong said. "Those of us working with these 1- to 18-inch-high plants will never see them as a mature forest."
Conserve Southwest Utah and the Bureau of Land Management have now planted over 3,000 Joshua trees over 19 acres of land. As the project has expanded, Armstrong says they have to rely on wire cages and natural rainfall to protect the plants — because returning with supplemental water becomes increasingly complicated.
The nonprofit is considering having volunteers map where saplings are planted with GPS so they can follow up and supply supplemental water.
"One has to have faith that the current and future generations will see the desert ecosystem as unique and beautiful, worthy of conservation as one would treat a priceless work of art," Armstrong said. "As we collectively learn more and educate others, there will be people to carry on the banner of protection."
Individuals who want to volunteer to help plant Joshua trees and save the Mojave Desert can sign up to volunteer or donate on Conserve Southwest Utah's website or email Armstrong at fred@conserveswu.org.
