Could Joshua Trees Go Extinct?

[@metaoblivia]

I went to Joshua Tree a few years ago. When I showed a good friend of mine a picture of where I was staying, he said, "Oh wow, it's right next to the tree! How did you manage that?" It turns out he thought there was only one tree in Joshua Tree and we had not only named it Joshua, but then named the entire park after it too (he was not from California or even the US, so we can forgive him on this). It became a running joke between us, and he ended up wanting to go to Joshua Tree to see "the tree." But unfortunately, he passed away before he got the chance. Now whenever I think of Joshua Tree, I think of him. I wish he had gotten the chance to see it. And I hope there is never just one tree in Joshua Tree.

[@blastedmcgraw152]

Sorry to hear about your friend.

[@NationalParkDiaries]

A truly powerful story. Thank you for sharing and I'm sorry to hear about your friend. I'm glad this special place can provide such a memory for you and I sincerely hope we never have just one tree in Joshua Tree either ❤❤❤

[@toddeftsadams5909]

I have 9 of them on my land in Arizona. I will keep them protected as best I can. Joshua trees are a yucca. Yucca brevifolia

[@NationalParkDiaries]

Thanks for your efforts!

[@jeremyday9056]

I got to experience Joshua Tree National Park and the Colorado and Mojave deserts in general this past September. It was absolutely breathtaking. From the Ocotillo Patch to the Cholla Gardens, to the Joshua Trees and Skull Rock, it quickly became one of, if not my favorite National Parks. Thank you for making this video. This needs to be seen by as many people as possible. This is a treasure that we cant afford to lose.

[@NationalParkDiaries]

That's when I was there too! And I couldn't agree more. I could tell immediately that it was a special landscape and we should do everything we can to protect it. Thanks for watching and helping to spread the word ❤

[@southwesthardypalms]

We CANNOT loose the joshua tree. They are as iconic to the U.S. as saguaro cacti, and massive southern live oaks. Joshua trees ARE america. I’m so lucky to see them every single day here at the northern end of their range in southern Utah. I can’t picture this landscape without them. Every year me and my family go out and collect joshua tree seeds and plant them in areas they will germinate better (places with a little bit extra water, and nurse plants above to shield them from intense sun as young plants). Joshua tree seeds have a VERY hard time spreading out and growing since the extinction of megafauna in the Southwest. This plant used to be spread by giant ground sloths, and mammoths. We (humans) are literally their last chance, we have to act as the mega fauna and spread them ourselves to protect them.

[@NationalParkDiaries]

In total agreement on their iconic status. These plants are symbols of our country and the wonderful places we've chosen to protect. Unfortunately, they're also symbols of all the threats these places currently face. My hope is that we can leverage the power of these symbols for change going forward, and I know there are good people out there doing the hard work to try and protect these species, so I have hope!

[@meganstahlberger608]

I would hate to see this iconic species disappear. Great video

[@NationalParkDiaries]

Same 😢

[@alxnsn697]

This is insane. I only live about like an hour maybe an hour and a half away from Joshua Tree Natl Park and it's strange that it's not talked about more because I had no idea this was going on. Thank you for making this be more aware to people!

[@AbouttheJourney]

This was a great video! Last year I sought out and found the farthest north Eastern Joshua Trees (Yucca jaegeriana) growing on the east side of Dry Lake Valley in Nevada. I was curious to see if their range was expanding northward and by how much, so I did some research online (a lot of Google Earth & iNaturalist) and then spent a couple of days out in the field finding them. My (non-scientific) observations seemed to indicate that they were indeed expanding northward. I was driving along a dirt road, through a lot of older, taller Joshua Trees, that then started getting smaller/younger until they disappeared. At that point, I got out, started walking around through the grasses and bushes and sure enough, there were small ones growing all over, many of them just a few years old. Looking to the south, it was easy to differentiate the younger (closer) trees of the forest from the older trees (further). The big question seems to be, will they be able to expand their range at a pace that keeps up with the changing weather patterns. I plan to do the same with the western variety (Yucca brevifolia), who's range seems to extend all the way up to Tonopah. I'll let you know what I find. Thanks for another great video, Cameron!

[@NationalParkDiaries]

Fascinating stuff, Mike! I'm glad to hear you're finding them further North and I hope that trend can continue, if only as a lifeline for these beleaguered icons. That gives me some hope lol! Looking forward to the brevifolia video and what you're able to find with them. Thanks, as always, for watching and supporting!

[@jamesreynolds1899]

It's a bucket list location for myself! To see the stars and cacti there

[@meganstahlberger608]

I went to the observatory when I was there and it was so cool!

[@NationalParkDiaries]

The stars were incredible - a must see at the park for sure!

[@roktman]

Once again an amazing video. I have to appreciate the effort that is being put into these videos, the quality is on another level compared to what you would normally find on the platform. I've visited Joshua Tree NP in 2016 and have had a great time there. It is sad to see the species be impacted by global warming this way like so many others. To be honest I don't think we fully understand global warming, the scope of its consequences and how much we are to blame. To change anything significant about our own contribution to the problem would mean flipping the established system upside down which I personally don't see happening any time soon.

[@NationalParkDiaries]

That means a lot, thank you!! I couldn't help but be a little sad during my visit as well, knowing the outlook for that iconic species is as bad as it is. But, in a way, they inspire hope as well. They're just so damn easy to love! And I hope we can leverage that for more solutions and ways to save them. Thanks for watching!

[@roktman]

@@NationalParkDiaries I hope the positive feedback motivates you to make more of these videos. They are very informative and shed light on prominent issues. Before watching this video, I had no idea Joshua trees were at such a high risk. I knew for example that the giant sequoias were being impacted on a significant scale, you even made a video on that topic I'm pretty sure, but I've never really thought to myself how it could impact the desert ecosystems.

[@NationalParkDiaries]

Seeing the responses to these videos and how much people enjoy learning about parks and public lands and conservation definitely keeps me going. I find these topics interesting on my own lol, but being able to share them with others is really rewarding and I'm so glad people like them.

[@GuadalupePicasso]

A separate video suggestion would be the geology of the Joshua Tree National Park landscape! I visited the park in January 2022 and 2023, and both times I was as mesmerized by the massive rock formations as I was the iconic, titular trees.

[@NationalParkDiaries]

That would be a great topic. The geology of the park really struck me during my visit as well and could be a fun topic to dive into. Thanks for the suggestion!

[@gtbkts]

Thanks for the awesome content and great videos!! I appreciate you raising awareness on a loved treasure.

[@NationalParkDiaries]

Thanks so much for watching! I always appreciate seeing your comment 😊

[@HannahandCailinLoesch]

As disheartening as the topic is, this video was fascinating and enjoyable to watch-as are all your videos! Thank you.

[@SAGECREW]

This is why I don’t stress too much about the Climate change happening, people like you that have hope ❤

[@NationalParkDiaries]

Thanks for watching!

[@flagmichael]

Current climate scenarios have rarely been helpful. The Park is closest to TwentyNine Palms, California. It is not hard to see historical precipitation charts for that city; there is no clear trend in the perennially dry climate. Here in the Desert Southwest of America moisture comes from two directions, each driven by weather over the central or south Pacific ocean. Spectacular variations year to year are the norm. The highest recorded Arizona statewide total annual precipitation on record was 22.8 inches in 1905, while the lowest was 6.0 inches in 1956, about the time the baseline for atmospheric CO2 was established. Over the 20th century and the 21st century so far, average annual precipitation dropped about 10%. When we get the remains of cyclones from the Sea of Cortez floods are all too common. It all depends on what is happening in the Pacific Ocean.

[@patrick247two]

You are an excellent ambassador for the National Parks of the US.

[@NationalParkDiaries]

Thank you!! I do what I can ❤

[@janblake9468]

Mojave Desert wildfires wouldn't be so serious if the invasive grasses were not allowed to grow. . NPS outlawed cattle grazinng in MNP years ago. Grazing kept the grasses in check.

[@kenbrady119]

It appears that cattle are required because the native fauna who grazed for millennia before were mostly exterminated for their hides.

[@brianpencall4882]

Joshua Trees can be seen near Big Bear California at 7000 feet elevation. Where Joshua Trees can be seen is not dependent on where a mature plant can survive, but where a seedling Joshua Tree can survive. Suitable habitat for Joshua Trees will shift north, and uphill in this model.

[@NationalParkDiaries]

I think the bigger questions aren't whether or not they can shift to new habitats, but how fast can they do it, and whether or not those habitats would ultimately become unsuitable as well. As I see it, the only long term solution to Joshua Tree survival is to ensure that as much of their habitat remains viable for as long as possible, which is really only achieved with meeting our climate goals.

[@beckynorris4366]

This might sound really silly but maybe you could transplant some Joshua trees somewhere else to safeguard the species from extinction? I believe certain areas like the Texas Panhandle which i think has the correct elevation as well as the freeze you could be used to put some trees there and have people water them so that if they do die off, they can later be replanted back into the park. I don't know probably silly idea but just asking

[@benmcreynolds8581]

Could you cover the topic of "Old growth patches" here in Oregon and the PNW. I live in Benton county Oregon & there is old growth patches around here but construction & other things are impacting this very special aspect of our environment. I wish we would cherish these important things more. Same with opening up our waterways & wetland habitats. These are crucial things. The more our surroundings flourish the more we can flourish.

[@NationalParkDiaries]

PNW old growth is fascinating to me. Love learning and hearing about them. I'll probably talk about it at some point - thanks for the suggestion!

[@benmcreynolds8581]

@@NationalParkDiaries No problem man. Keep up the awesome content. I just tossed out an idea while i was thinking about it. It's totally up to you, u don't have to do anything unless you want to. Have a great day dude.

[@rbran]

Will you ever do a video on the McDermitt caldera, close to the tristate area of Oregon, Idaho, and Nevada? There’s been recent news about a huge lithium deposit there, and, as you’ve mentioned, many companies proclaim this to be the future at the cost of the wilderness there.

[@NationalParkDiaries]

Had never heard of it before this, but I'll look into it!

[@JoshDoingLinux]

I’m sure that they are great for the environment and provide habitat or food, but as a Joshua, I disown these abhorrent flora.

[@NationalParkDiaries]

Damn, harsh 😂

[@202cardline]

Joshua, go water your trees. Deadbeat!

[@markwallace1727]

Top notch work as usual Cameron. Informative, educational, entertaining, and beautiful to watch. Big thanks also for the conversions for us users of "French units". Personally, feet I'm fine with, especially in regard to heights, but this ℉ thing takes a bit more work. I can think in imperial or metric length as I use either at various times, but really need to convert temperatures. Much appreciated saving my thinking from being distracted.

[@NationalParkDiaries]

Hahaha, I'm the exact opposite! Although I do wish the US would just switch to metric already to make everything a whole lot easier. Not holding out hope though... Thanks for watching!

[@GuadalupePicasso]

I don’t know how much they depend on Joshua Trees, but there are also desert tortoises in the national park!

[@jar1345]

Always end up in parks near the exact same time as you. Was just in Joshua tree as well. Anyways have you been to any parks in the Bahamas? It would be cool to do a video on their park system as a whole. It seems to be not supported by the government and private companies donate money to the institute to support them

[@NationalParkDiaries]

I've been to the Bahamas, but not to any parks. That sounds like a FASCINATING topic though - I'll look into it!

[@andrespasher194]

I used to live in northeastern Mexico, there there are yuccas very similar to these ones, I wouldn’t have thought they were rare. What makes Joshua trees live in such a limited area?

[@NationalParkDiaries]

They're limited by temperature and moisture conditions. The Mojave Desert is basically like this sweet spot of higher elevations and slightly cooler temperatures that they require to reproduce - a goldilocks zone essentially. Lower elevations (like the Sonoran Desert) are too warm, while higher elevations (like the Great Basin Desert) are too cold. It's one of the things that makes them so unique, but also puts them in great peril when those conditions change.

[@Grand_History]

Didn’t the region just receive some rain from the recent hurricane in California? Not that that solves things in the long run. When I visit next year I’m finding one and dumping a waterbottle on it. #doingmypart

[@NationalParkDiaries]

It did, and I didn't see/hear anything during my visit about how the park expects this to impact Joshua Trees. I would think they'll appreciate any moisture they can get!

[@PurpleandGeauxld]

Nice work on this.

[@NationalParkDiaries]

Thank you!

[@ericvulgate]

It's amazing they've lasted as long as they have without the animals that spread their seeds.

[@boardcertifiable]

As a kid i always called them Dr. Seuss trees, because they reminded me of the trees in The Lorax.

[@NationalParkDiaries]

100%

[@MayaPosch]

The destruction of desert habitats and cultural artifacts is a tragic consequence of the build-out of variable renewable energy like solar and wind. While hydro in the form of large dams were destructive, having bulldozers running over thousands of square kilometers of 'worthless' desert area to enrich some investors could be argued to be much more destructive. While simultaneously not helping us deal with climate change. Looking at the UNECE and IPCC reports on sustainable energy policies, it's key that we move as quickly as possible to large-scale (fleet) build-outs of nuclear plants, much as what happened in the 1970s in North America and Europe, and what is happening today in Asia (China). Using high-temperature reactors (like China's HTR-PM600 and similar by other countries), we can even provide a drop-in solution for coal and gas-fired plants, saving lots of money and speeding up construction. It's honestly so frustrating to see yet another example of more species lost and more habitat destroyed, all because of what ultimately amounts of anti-intellectualism. Originally the US was projected to have phased out all fossil fuel use for electricity production by the early 2000s, through the build-out of nuclear power. The rest of the world would have followed suit, yet instead we're seeing the world burn, habitats being destroyed to make investors rich and precious real progress made towards the Anthropocene not being an era of mass species die-off. Though I guess we're a bit late to put a stop to that one aspect, we can at least try to not make things worse... Sorry for the rant, it's just a topic that's dear to me, and vexes me to no end :)

[@zmavrick]

According to early explorers and pioneers the southwest used to have large herds of migratory antelope and these maintained the native grasses much like the buffalo maintained the great plains. For these areas they were actually a keystone species. However civilization(?) has almost eliminated them and their ability to range. Sadly modern philosophy is to either not graze or over graze and both are disastrous to these very brittle environments.

[@mellissadalby1402]

I am sad to hear this news about the Joshua Trees. On the Island of Socotra, another unusual tree, the so called "Dragon's Blood Tree" (Dracaena Cinnabari) is now listed as vulnerable.

[@NationalParkDiaries]

Just looked them up - never knew that's what those were called. Super cool plant and I hope there's a better future for them ☹

[@willwin4744]

Even if they lose all their Joshua trees I hope they keep the name as a reminder of what can happen

[@NationalParkDiaries]

A sober reminder, but probably an effective one... Glacier, Glacier Bay, and Sequoia could be heading down the same path, unfortunately.

[@willwin4744]

@@NationalParkDiaries It is just so sad, did some diving in the U.S. Virgin Islands and they talked about how it used to be more colorful but we were at least lucky to still see any coral, wild to think we might be some of the last people to experience a lot of this.

[@screwstatists7324]

With cheap energy we could possibly water them and fill springs

[@hobbs4288]

Just like Glacier National Park without Glaciers...

[@NationalParkDiaries]

Yep, and Glacier Bay and Sequoia... 😢

[@overwatchxrescue]

Let's hope not! This would be a tremendous ecological loss for biodiversity.

[@NationalParkDiaries]

Couldn't agree more!

[@MehOnCommenting]

My partner and I missed out on going to Joshua Tree and Death Valley during our Cali road trip in 2013 due to, how timely a comment is this 😢, a govt shutdown 🤬. We were in Yosemite when it started, so at least got to see that park. I imagine the parks whose iconic species or landscapes are no longer present will end up as memorials to mans war on the natural world and the innocent lives lost. They'll probably see fewer visitors and less funding as a result. Maybe they'll have things like virtual exhibits so future generations can see what was stolen from them.

[@MojaveZach]

this is the environmental catastrophe that makes me the most sad since I love the Mojave. The York fire makes me especially sad as that happened in one of the most beautiful places in the desert: the New York Mountains. also a video idea that's somewhat related: Mojave National Preserve was originally going to be a national park as well, but republicans in congress funded by the mining industry forced the park to become a preserve instead, which gives it zero funding. Hope you enjoyed your time there.

[@NationalParkDiaries]

Yeah, I could tell it was a special place on my brief visit. I had a great time and look forward to coming back to the Mojave some day. That's a great video suggestion - going to put that on the list, thanks!

[@rosalieholdaway6017]

Good job

[@NationalParkDiaries]

Thank you!

[@BuzzzedSwan]

we all need to find that tree love

[@NationalParkDiaries]

❤

[@bradansworld]

Most likely NPS will artificially create seeds and plant them around the park. How that impacts the ecosystem remains to be seen.

[@NationalParkDiaries]

There have actually been several attempts at revegetating Joshua Trees in the Mojave and they haven't responded all that well, unfortunately. I'm sure there will be improvements as time goes on, but I can't say it's something to put all of our hope in. There's some links in the description about the replanting efforts if you're interested in learning more.

[@bradansworld]

@NationalParkDiaries that is not good! It will be a real loss for our environment if the joshua trees disappear because of how rare they are.

[@Bratzbuyingclothes]

sad times

[@NationalParkDiaries]

😢

[@anthonyguevara7536]

no water looks what state its in ahhh i see why

[@SequoiaElisabeth]

Either change the name or decommission the park. Simple