Residents ask questions about Southern Nevada tree-planting incentive in a drought

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – Some Las Vegas Valley residents have questions about the regional incentive to plant trees in the midst of a drought when plenty of property owners are struggling to keep their older trees alive.

The Southern Nevada Water Authority has a incentive for residents with grass: residents can get $100 for every new tree installed when grass is removed. Officials with the Water Authority said trees use and require far less water than grass, and reduce the urban “heat island” effect.

Residents voiced concerns about planting new trees at the latest Las Vegas Valley Water District meeting. Several residents said some of their trees are dying, and are trying to stay within watering restrictions to avoid excessive fees.

“I fail to see the consistency in killing mature trees on one hand, and pay to plant new trees,” one resident said.

“Spraying the valley with cash to incentivize new tree planting, all while you’re forcing those of us that do have trees not to water them properly,” another resident said.

FOX5 has told you how climate change has put plenty of stress on non-native species. In a drive across the Las Vegas Valley and the city of Las Vegas, you could easily spot older trees that showed signs of stress from the heat that not even water may solve. The Southern Nevada Regional Planning Coalition Regional Plant List shows what plants and trees are better adapted to a desert climate.

“Making sure that we’re selecting the right trees is going to be imperative moving forward. “We are already seeing heat stress with certain species of trees and plants in Southern Nevada… Those trees are not likely to be able to survive in the years ahead as a result of climate change,” said Bronson Mack of the Southern Nevada Water Authority.

Mack said homeowners may need to have some hard assessments about their landscaping in a drought: in a survey of the 100 most-popular varieties of trees and shrubs across the Valley, research shows a third will not even survive the excessive heat temperatures in coming years.

The LVVWD website has a guide to “drip irrigation,” which will keep the ground moist and reduce the number of watering days. Mack said many people believe their trees need more water than they actually require.

“We can even have young trees that will grow up to be big, shady trees, and do that in a very water efficient way,” Mack said. One of the best things that we can do to combat the urban heat island effect, is to provide more shade,” he said.

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