The plan includes guidance to avoid and minimize impacts to western Joshua trees, land conservation and management strategies, research and information gathering, and efforts at public education.
In the draft, they outlined the requirements and fees for removing a Joshua Tree:
- Once a building project requires the removal of a Joshua tree after all practical efforts have been exhausted – the permit allows for the removal of up to 10 individual western Joshua trees on the project site for single-family residences, multifamily residences, or accessory structures.
- No more than 40 individual western Joshua trees may be removed on a project site that is a public works project.
- Before authorizing the removal of more than 20, but no more than 40, individual western Joshua trees for a public works project, the county or city needs to obtain the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s written permission that the project has avoided and minimized the take of western Joshua trees to the maximum practical extent.
The fees to remove Joshua Trees on a project are $1000 for every Joshua tree five meters or greater in height, $200 for each tree over one meter but less than five, and $150 for each joshua tree less than one meter in height.
Permits will also be needed for trimming or removing a fallen Joshua Tree. Those permit requirements rely on providing evidence of the fallen or dead tree after which a permit will be issued and removal or trimming is allowed.
All fees collected by the take permits will flow directly back into the Western Joshua Tree Mitigation Fund which will be used solely for the purposes of acquiring, conserving, and managing western Joshua tree conservation lands and completing other activities to conserve the western Joshua tree.
The plan suggests identifying specific genomes of the Western Joshua Tree and plotting it’s habitat as first steps toward a longer preservation plan. The plan suggests a strategy of complete avoidance of the Western Joshua Tree, and when avoidance is impossible, they propose a buffer zone of 186 feet from mature growths.
The proposal suggests limiting OHV use in areas with Western Joshua Trees, Additional strategies for mitigating the impact of pesticides and invasive plants are also outlined in the document.
Published on the Commission’s website, public comment on the draft Conservation Plan will be heard at the commission’s February meeting, the time and place of which are yet to be announced. Prior to the February meeting, comments on the draft Plan may be submitted via regular U.S. Mail or email. The commission has until June 30, 2025 to take action on the Conservation Plan. The proposal suggests input from tribal leaders and land managers.
The full draft plan is available here: https://fgc.ca.gov/CESA#wjt
