A California man has been charged with setting fire to the Oasis of Mara at Joshua Tree National Park/NPS

A paroled arsonist has been charged with starting a fire at Joshua Tree National Park that damaged historic trees and other park resources at the Oasis of Mara earlier this week.

George William Graham, 26, of Twentynine Palms, California, appeared in federal court Wednesday, a park release said. National Park Service rangers arrested the man at the scene of the fire Monday evening.

"Graham was observed watching the blaze and admitted to law enforcement officers that he started the fire," the release said, adding that, "(A)ccording to court records, Graham was known both to the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department and the National Park Service as a California arson parolee, with prior law-enforcement contacts with both state and federal authorities."

Graham was charged with unlawfully setting fire to trees, a felony offense punishable by up to five years of imprisonment and a fine of up to $250,000. The man was detained in federal custody pending his next court appearance on April 11.