Amateur developers take notice: You can’t just remove any trees on a whim in California.
A couple has been fined $18,000 for illegally bulldozing over 36 Joshua trees in order to clear land for construction, according to the L.A. Times. The guilty party own the land in questions in San Bernardino’s Morongo Basin, and reportedly thought that trees under a certain height could be removed.
The L.A. Times notes that the western Joshua tree is a candidate for protection under the California Endangered Species Act. As such, it is illegal to cut down, damage or remove the sensitive desert tree without a permit while they’re under review for more lasting protection.
Before authorities were able to step in, the couple had remove and buried the aforementioned 36 trees, though they ultimately had the trees uncovered.
The San Bernardino County district attorney’s office filed 36 misdemeanor charges against the pair (one for each destroyed tree), with each charge carrying a fine up to $4,100 and/or six months in jail. As part of a plea agreement, the couple agreed to paid $18,000 in fines and complete volunteer work for Joshua Tree National Park or the Mojave Desert Land Trust.