Private Residential + Small Business: Western Joshua Tree Census
OVERVIEWWestern Joshua trees are found on many residential and small business parcels in the Mojave desert, and these protected plants often must be accounted for in permitting new buildings, additions, and ground-disturbance work such as septic installation, retaining walls, foundations, swimming pools, and driveway construction.
Wilder has been conducting western Joshua tree evaluations and CDFW census surveys for several years in the Mojave desert. Typical projects for residential and small businesses range in size from approximately 0.25 acres to 15 acres. Most surveys take only 1-2 field days, and we make every effort to contain costs through intentional scheduling to minimize travel times and prioritize client timelines during the reporting and permitting period.
SERVICES INCLUDEDCalifornia Fish and Wildlife Service (CDFW) has established a standard protocol for a western Joshua tree census. It includes a site visit by qualified biologists during which transects are walked on foot in a systematic pattern to find all Joshua trees in a defined Project Site. All western Joshua tree plants within the Project Site are precisely located, assessed for health, maturity and reproductive status, measured, and then photographed in a standardized way.
A formal census report is then generated for each project. The report is a key element in successful CDFW Incidental Take Permitting (ITP) for western Joshua trees.
