Yellow paloverde was used in the revegetation of an open pit copper mine in Arizona. Yellow paloverde was evaluated as a potential energy-producing crop. During 2 years of sampling, the stems, leaves, and fruits of yellow paloverde yielded moderate amounts of oil and crude protein. Yellow paloverde spread from residential plantings into surrounding wildlands in Death Valley National Monument, California. Yellow paloverde and community associates typical of the Arizona upland subdivision of the Sonoran Desert occur in very few places in southeastern California.
Yellow paloverde provides canopy cover that reduces maximum soil surface temperatures.