Las Vegas tackles urban heat with free tree distribution program

Looking to spruce up your front lawn? Las Vegas is offering free trees (and an irrigation system!) to residents in select zip codes.

On Wednesday, Las Vegas announced that it would be providing free trees to residents in select ZIP codes to help lower urban temperatures. The city received around $5 million in federal funding for the initiative, which was designed to provide drought-tolerant trees for areas most impacted by the heat.

Temperatures tend to rise in urban regions because there’s more asphalt and concrete—those absorb and store heat for long periods before slowly releasing that energy back into the atmosphere.

The excess of heat produced by asphalt and concrete is compounded by traffic, which also increases temperatures because of greenhouse gas emissions. An urban tree canopy, or a stretch of trees and branches that provide coverage from the sun, fight against these factors. With this new initiative to supply residents with free trees, Las Vegas is hoping to keep things cooler and more shaded, which will eventually lower the overall temperatures. Clark County previously ran a similar program in October.

A press release issued by the city stated, “In 2022 the Las Vegas City Council adopted its Urban Forestry Program to assist with the 2050 Master Plan’s Urban Forestry goal to plant 60,000 drought-tolerant trees by the year 2050. Trees improve air quality, provide shade and enhance public health and property values.”

In a second, we’ll go over the process for how to qualify for your free tree (which will be planted by the city and come with an accompanying irrigation system), but first, here are the ZIP codes eligible for the program:

• 89101
• 89102
• 89104
• 89106
• 89107
• 89110

Here’s how you can get your free tree 

If you live in one of those eligible zip codes, you can fill out a form at the following link to receive a free tree, with irrigation, for your home. The form requires you to provide basic information such as your name, address, phone number, and email address. There are seven pages to fill out before submission.

The USDA’s website notes that property owners are required to sign the form to clarify eligibility. For renters, the instructions note: “If you are renting your home, and would like a tree, send this application form to your landlord as they must sign, granting permission for a tree to be planted on their property.”

Trees can help lessen the impact of climate change 

According to research, planting trees can help decrease temperatures in urban areas by around 10 degrees or more. This would be especially beneficial for Las Vegas, as the city recorded temperature highs of 120 degrees over the summer and experienced 100-degree or higher days for over two months. Trees combat the heat through transpiration cooling, which essentially means that they release water from their leaves into the surrounding air, effectively lowering the temperature in the process.

Trees also shade buildings, sidewalks, and roadways—this helps prevent the asphalt and concrete from continuously absorbing and releasing heat into the atmosphere and keeps things even cooler. Las Vegas’s urban forester, Brad Daseler, said of the initiative, “Our 2050 goal is to plant 60,000 trees within the city of Las Vegas, and that breaks down to a little over 2,000 trees a year.”

This article first appeared on Good Info News Wire and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.