Question of the Day - 30 September 2025

It wasn't your imagination. It's true that thousands of trees have died recently and thousands more are dying around this city. 

It's mostly due to the ongoing drought, 25 years and counting, but also rising temperatures and minimal rain from the monsoon over the past several years. Even if homeowners water their trees and many don't, the heat can get to be too much for a number of species, such as ash, pine, sumac, ornamental plum, live oak, and fruitless olive. None are native, so they're more susceptible to extreme conditions, but even the native mesquite and palo verde seem these days to be stressed. 

The municipalities are working with arborists to plant drought-resistant replacements, but as is well known, the best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. So the saplings are small and will take some time to help clean the air and provide shade to counter the "heat island" effect, which increases the trees' suffering.

Removing grass, of which southern Nevadans have been in the process for a decade or two, also heightens the heat island and causes additional tree suffering. Worse, stressed trees are more susceptible to infestation by pests, particularly beetles, which accelerates the dying process. The Southern Nevada Water Authority is aware of the problem and incentivizes residents with $100 for every new tree when grass is removed. But again, that pays for the smallest trees, so the lag time is substantial. 

As for why they're left standing, especially in private yards, that's a matter of finances. The bigger the tree, the more noticeable it is when it dies and the more expensive it is to remove. It can cost thousands of dollars to cut down and dispose of a standing dead tree, which many homeowners simply can't afford. Of course, they're risking the tree falling or catching fire and it's certainly a neighborhood eyesore, but as you noticed, they're becoming more and more common around the valley.