Tree of the Week: February 11th, 2025

ArborNote’s Tree of the Week was chosen by our new Business Development Specialist @Kelly and he has selected the Joshua Tree (Yucca brevifolia)! Before Kelly moved to California, he thought that there was just a single Joshua Tree with a special name. Little did he know that the desert was full of them! Imagine his surprise visiting Joshua Tree National Park and seeing hundreds! The Joshua Tree is an iconic part of the Southern California landscape. The Joshua tree is called “hunuvat chiy’a” or “humwichawa” by the indigenous Cahuilla. It is also called izote de desierto, which translated into Spanish means the “desert dagger”. Although the Joshua Tree is not endangered, they are one of the species predicted to have their range reduced and shifted by climate change. Concern remains that they will be eliminated from Joshua Tree National Park, with ecological research suggesting a high probability that their populations will be reduced by 90% of their current range by the end of the 21st century. Wildfires, invasive grasses and poor migration patterns for the trees’ seeds are all additional factors in the species’ imperilment. They are also thought to be the inspirations for Dr. Seuss’s Truffula trees from the story The Lorax, with their odd limbs and bushy foliage. Much like in the story of The Lorax, unless more is done to protect the environment these trees thrive in, we could sadly lose them all.