Name: Wildfire in Mojave Desert destroys iconic Joshua trees
Uploaded: 2023-08-03T13:25:16.865Z
Duration: 2 min 2 s
Description: A fierce wildfire has ripped through California’s Mojave Desert, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. As of Wednesday (August 2) evening, the fire had claimed over 80,000 acres, including parts of Caruthers Canyon, known for its diverse ecosystem.

A fierce wildfire has ripped through California’s Mojave Desert, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. As of Wednesday (August 2) evening, the fire had claimed over 80,000 acres, including parts of Caruthers Canyon, known for its diverse ecosystem. 

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Wildfire in Mojave Desert destroys iconic Joshua trees

Scenes of devastation across California's Mojave Desert after a wildfire burned through an area rich in biodiversity. Precious Joshua trees, once used by indigenous people to weave baskets and now a prominent cultural symbol, have been turned to ash. As of Wednesday, the fire had claimed more than 80,000 acres of land, including parts of Carravas Canyon, which is known for its diverse ecosystem. Mike Gauthier is the superintendent of the National Park Service. There's obviously tremendous damage to the landscape and to the viewshed and the things that people are used to seeing. So that's the immediate effect. It's sort of a torched moonscape appearance is what you'll see. The York Fire, what it's burning now, particularly when it's burning Joshua tree forests, the trees that are killed are going to look like this. Some of them will completely be ravaged. The Joshua tree isn't the most durable species, so it'll die. And this is one that you can see from a fire three years ago here. The National Park Service said the York Fire was the largest seen in the area since records began. These satellite images from Saturday show the scale of destruction that had been seen even then. The situation has been made worse by the wet winter, which led to a healthy crop of grass, which in turn helped fuel the fire. All hope is not lost, though. The Mojave Desert and its iconic Joshua trees have survived and bounced back from past wildfires, most recently the 2020 Dome Fire. We're heartbroken to lose one of the most beautiful spots in Mojave National Preserve. It's really sad. Carruthers Canyon, it burned. But we also know that this fire has been part of the landscape for thousands of years, for millions of years. It's been a continual part of the landscape. And we're going to see it evolve. And so here we are three years later, and some of it comes back, and some of it takes restoration home.

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