JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 27, 2019: Joshua trees grow in front of massive rock formations in Joshua Tree National Park in California. (Photo by Robert Alexander/Getty Images) LOS ANGELES - California officials are weighing whether to list the iconic western Joshua tree as a threatened species, a designation that would make it harder to remove the trees for housing, solar or other development projects.The desert plant is known for its unique appearance, with spiky leaves on the end of its branches, is found in the national park that bears its name about 130 miles east of Los Angeles and through a stretch of desert up to Death Valley National Park.
There are two types of trees, the eastern and western, but only the western is up for consideration.The California Fish & Game Commission took hours of public comment on Wednesday and scheduled a vote for Thursday.
If the tree is listed as a threatened species, killing one would require special approval from the state.The state has never listed a species as threatened based primarily on threats from climate change, said Brendan Cummings, conservation director for the Center for Biological Diversity.The center petitioned in 2019 to have the western Joshua tree listed as threatened, saying hotter temperatures and more intense periods of drought fueled by climate change will make it harder for the species to survive through the end of the century.