Joshua Tree Climate Change Response Program

Current data show, under the most optimistic climate change scenarios, up to 80% of the park’s Joshua trees will die off due to decreased precipitation and increased temperatures. The Joshua Tree Climate Change Response Program (JT-CCRP) unites land managers, academics, and the public to retain the park’s namesake, and its associated ecological community, as an integral part of the high desert landscape. 

JT-CCRP is a unified effort to save Joshua trees within the park by taking a three-pronged approach:

1. Measuring and understanding what is happening
2. Identifying areas where Joshua trees have the best chance of persisting (“refugia”) 
3. Proactively protect refugia

All actions require partnerships to provide the research, internships to conduct field monitoring, and teams on the ground to manage fuels. Funds from Joshua Tree National Park Association and Parks Project have been instrumental in supporting critical research and past fuel treatments.

Learn more about how the National Park Service overall is planning for a changing climate.

Learn more here about park specific climate change information here.