Recover from damage caused during shutdown...

It could take years for Joshua Tree to recover from damage caused during shutdown

By Alix Martichoux

Even before the federal government reopened Friday, the staff at Joshua Tree National Park was already doing damage control.

The 1,200 square miles of desert landscape in Southern California never closed to the public throughout the 34 days of partial government shutdown, but there were fewer rangers patrolling the park. During that time, vandals cut down Joshua trees, left graffiti, lit fires at illegal campsites, and went off-roading through "pristine desert," according to park superintendent David Smith.

"What's happened to our park in the last 34 days is irreparable for the next 200 to 300 years," said Curt Sauer, former Joshua Tree superintendent, at a rally Saturday.

Since Dec. 22, 2018, off-roaders left a 20-mile path of destruction as they drove through the desert to get around barriers. The current superintendent of Joshua Tree agreed the damage has the potential of a lasting legacy.

The problem with off-roading through pristine desert isn't just the tracks that get left behind in the dirt. Park staff already raked over those tracks and tried to cover them with dead plants (a practice called vertical mulching). The real trouble is what's going on just beneath the surface. In places like the desert of Joshua Tree, there's not a lot of organic material in the soil to help plants grow. Instead, a crust forms on the soil where algae, bacteria and fungus work together to fix nitrogen levels so plants can survive.

"Once you break through that crust, you no longer have anything fertilizing the soil to help plants grow in it. And it takes a really long time to recover," Smith explained. "A lot of folks don't realize how fragile the desert is."

Smith hopes quick work by park staff to mitigate the soil damage, plus some help from well-timed recent rain, could help the desert floor recover much faster than 200 years.

Park officials also reported around 120 illegal fires at makeshift campsites where visitors are not allowed to camp. In many cases, nearby juniper and acacia trees had been cut down and sawed up for firewood.

Three Joshua trees, the spiky-leaved trees for which the national park is named, were also cut down.

"Those trees will be damaged forever, but luckily our plant community is a renewable resource," said Smith.

But the recovery will be slow, Smith admits.

"Some Joshua trees have been growing for 300 years. If you're visiting a coastal forest, say in the Oakland hills, eucalyptus trees grow extremely quickly. Here in the desert things grow very, very slowly."