That’s exactly what I’m saying about the picture. That undated fuzzy picture of a Brevifolia that looks like it fell over naturally as they often do is not proof of anything. No one cut that tree. Look at the break point it’s jagged. Looks more like wind caused it.

Maybe a park ranger backed in to it months ago and they’re taking this opportunity to pin it on the general public. At least that’s what I would do.

Don’t take my word for it though. You can research the yucca genus all you want and find I didn’t say anything controversial. The arborescent yuccas are like battle tanks. They’re aggressive rooters that can spread by rhizome. They can root from any part of the trunk that touches the soil. Breaking off pieces of themselves is literally part of their propagation strategy which is part of what gives these trees their iconic appearance. They’re hardy enough for frost temps and can store enough moisture to survive years of drought. They can even collect moisture from the dew that drips down their trunks because they have two types of roots; shallow ones to gather moisture from the soil surface and a deep anchor system that can go 30’ deep in a mature plant and reach towards the ground water. The Joshua trees are amazing and they’re particular about elevation but in their native range they’re tough as nails.