Since September 2020 the western Joshua tree has enjoyed protection from widespread loss due to development when the California Fish and Game Commission granted the tree temporary protected status. That status remains in place pending a final determination if they fit the state’s definition of threatened with extinction. If it’s granted the protection, western Joshua trees will be be added to the state’s endangered species list as a threatened species. It is expected that the Commission will make the final determination on continued protection of the tree at its June 16 meeting. The Department of Fish and Game published a status review last month concluding the trees do not warrant threatened status. That status review is likely to figure heavily in the ultimate decision. Focus on protecting the western Joshua tree began when the Center for Biological Diversity petitioned the state’s Fish and Game Commission to list the species as endangered. The status review says there is insufficient data to show the tree is in imminent danger.
