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1.3 million Joshua trees lost in California’s 2020 Dome Fire
A new satellite-based tool is helping US park officials restore desert ecosystems after wildfires destroyed up to 1.3 million Joshua trees in California's 2020 Dome Fire. Scientists at the University of California,…
The Story in Brief
A new satellite-based tool is helping US park officials restore desert ecosystems after wildfires destroyed up to 1.3 million Joshua trees in California's 2020 Dome Fire. Scientists at the University of California, Berkeley and the US National Park Service developed the DSE Disturbance Severity Tool to quickly map fire damage in the Mojave Desert, where sparse vegetation and rocky ground made standard satellite assessments inaccurate.
The software has already been used after two recent fires in Joshua Tree National Park. Invasive grasses and rising temperatures are increasing fire frequency in the region, with most fires started by human activity. Joshua trees can take up to 70 years to reach reproductive maturity.
The Indian Opinion
The narrative of technology saving nature can be seductive, but it masks a harder truth. Digital tools map damage and guide restoration, yet they cannot halt the invasive grasses and human recklessness that fuel these fires. The real test is whether officials will curb campfires and limit access to vulnerable zones. How many big fires can the Mojave absorb before the Joshua tree becomes a ghost of the past? The number of fires in the next decade will answer that question.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
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