Blackened Joshua tree trunks, burned brush and sparse vegetation all served as signs that a fire had torn through this relatively remote area of the park. It wasn’t the first time I’d hiked ...

are at great risk of fire due to invasive non-native grasses. Over 40% of the western Joshua tree’s range in California is on private land, with only a tiny fraction protected from development.

Most visitors to Joshua Tree National Park enter through the West Entrance in the unincorporated town of Joshua Tree, where an abundance of stores, restaurants, bars and lodgings serve visitors.

shrinking the species’ range and leading to more tree deaths. Higher elevations, where some Joshua trees might survive increasing temperatures and drying conditions, are at risk of fire because of ...