We made a COVID-19 memorial in the ashes of a Joshua tree forest
Despite nearly 1.3 million deaths and counting, there is still not a national memorial for the pandemic. Our informal memorial in the middle of the Mojave Desert is one small way to remember those we’ve lost so far. The post We made a COVID-19 memorial in the ashes of a Joshua tree forest first appeared on The Sick Times .
During the Dome Fire in California's Mojave National Preserve, 1.3 million Joshua trees were lost, mirroring the estimated deaths from COVID-19 in the United States. Despite the pandemic having no national memorial, a Joshua tree memorial was created in the ashes of the fire. Miles W. Griffis and his partner Aaron spent three years planting nearly 2,000 eastern Joshua trees in the 43,000-acre burnt area.
They named the effort Team Ground Sloth, inspired by the giant Shasta ground sloth that once roamed the landscape. The Joshua trees, once a refuge for Griffis, became a symbol of his COVID-19 grief and climate change awareness. As the burnt trees stood tall, each was dedicated to a life lost from the pandemic, creating a living remembrance of the polycrisis they faced.
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