Joshua Tree National Park has begun a project to save Joshua trees that will be threatened by planned future road construction along the road to the Keys View scenic overlook.
Between March 29th and April 21st, contract workers will begin to remove Joshua trees from the construction zone and replant them along the sides of the future roadway. Approximately 85 to 100 Joshua trees will be moved during the project. During this time, visitors may experience brief 10-minute delays as workers remove trees close to the existing road. Actual road reconstruction in this area is planned to start in the summer of 2007. The Cap Rock Nature Trail may be closed temporarily during the replanting project.
Reconstructed roads often follow the footprint of the old roads. When rebuilt roads stray from the original road corridor to conform with Federal Highways design and safety standards, though, Joshua Tree National Park seeks to protects native vegetation and scenic resources. Inevitably, some trees and shrubs fall in the path of the construction project. Prior to construction, much is done to mitigate the impending damage. In anticipation of upcoming road construction, many trees and plants that will be affected are mapped and then transplanted directly to a nearby location along the project route.
The removal and replanting of Joshua trees is being coordinated by the park?s Center for Arid Lands Restoration. Areas impacted by the construction are re-contoured and re-vegetated to preconstruction conditions. Pullouts and intersections are priority sites for restoration due to their high visibility and use by park visitors. Techniques for restoring native vegetation include planting of live nursery grown plants, transplanting material from planned construction zones, and vertical mulching of dead plant material to help trap natural seeds and promote plant reestablishment.
Park visitors are urged to drive carefully within the project area and obey traffic control directions. For further information about the tree replanting project, contact project supervisor Rick Yeager at 760-367-5565.
