Stand structure for Joshua trees (Yucca brevifolia and Y. jaegeriana) in the eastern Mojave Desert of California, 2022 plot data

These data were compiled to measure the stand structure, including age class distribution, of Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia and Y. jaegeriana) as measured on 61 1000 m2 plots.The objective of our study was to provide the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service with demographic data, particularly on recruitment, of the Joshua trees for their use in decisions that the Service makes for the management of Joshua trees. These data represent tree height, number of trees by age class as represented by height, and some environmental characteristics of each plot. These data were collected in the spring and early fall 2022 in the eastern Mojave of California with plot locations adjacent to plots that had been allocated in 1997 using a stratified random sampling design. The plots naturally had a more northern group and a more southern group on Bureau of Land Management, the Mojave National Preserve, and Death Valley National Park lands.  These data were collected with field observations by technicians of the U.S. Geological Survey. The data provide a summary of Joshua tree stand structure including recruitment of trees. Recruitment data for the Joshua tree in the easter Mojave will benefit the decisions that the public land managers make for the long-term viability of the Joshua tree.