Humans are killing California Joshua trees. Can fungi save them?

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MOJAVE NATIONAL PRESERVE — In the heart of the Mojave National Preserve, a scientist hunted for a baby Joshua tree that would never make it to adulthood.She parted some creosote branches to reveal a shriveled shrub, just ankle-high.This doomed seedling was part of a National Park Service planting effort to replace dozens of Joshua trees cut down by a Southern California Edison contractor tasked with protecting the company’s power lines.

But of the 193 babies planted here roughly five years ago, only 27, or 14%, are still alive, according to the Park Service.If researchers don’t figure out why so few survived, an imperiled icon of the California desert may disappear even more quickly.“Joshua trees are so resilient — they’ve been around for millions of years,” said Anne Polyakov of the Society for the Protection of Underground Networks, who led the expedition.

“But now they’re facing too many stressors all at once.” Described by some as spiritual guides or even family members, Joshua trees have inspired a wide range of artists and writers, from Indigenous people and pioneers to U2 and the creators of “Euphoria.”The spiky succulents are signifiers of what makes the desert special to people, said poet Ruth Nolan, the Mojave Desert literary laureate.Unique and a bit weird, they speak to something deep and ancient.

And although their shaggy boughs somewhat resemble teddy bears, they’re sharp if you step too close.“They kind of represent the whole spirit of the desert,” she said.“It’s beautiful and inviting, but it’s also really tough and acerbic.”Joshua trees also play a key role as a linchpin of the Mojave Desert ecosystem.

They’re typically the largest structures on the landscapes where they grow, and dozens of animals rely on them for food and shelter.But human development and the wildfires we create have destroyed swaths of their habitat...