/diy/ - Do It Yourself

Hello there DIY,

Have a question about a joist that may or may not be essential. Will post more pics to give you a better idea of the situation:

Basically I want to put a vinyl floor covering over this attic space floor. However, there is a single joist that seems to be doing nothing connected to the floor. It is the only one in the space, aside from another against the far wall. My question is, what purpose could this serve, and is it safe to remove it? More pics incoming