Along Hwy 178 in South Kern County near South Fork Valley, there are several forests of Joshua Trees.
In 2015 there was a small fire burning less than 1 acre. A year or so later, a larger fire -- about 5 acres -- occurred just east of Walker Pass on the same highway. Joshua Trees were burned in both locations.
This is what that area looked like a month following the fire:
September 2016: Yucca brevifolia var. herbertii, Walker Pass, Hwy. 178, Kern County
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Biologists have noted that this variety of Yucca brevifolia, sometimes called the Kern County Joshua Tree, can reproduce from the rhizomes -- modified underground stems -- noticeable especially following a fire. Indeed, that is what has happened.
A year later: the first four photographs are from the Walker Pass area, the second four, from the area farther west. That second area has been recovering longer, so the new growth is taller.
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