LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — "My family and many of our neighbors are trying to find out why the City of Henderson is taking down all of the mature shade trees at Sunridge Park. It's a tragedy as the trees have been here for years providing shade and escape from the sun for the many families that routinely use this neighborhood park. Darcy, what's the deal?"
I took that question to the City of Henderson and learned the leafy canopy is leaving as part of an ongoing turf removal project.
It's being done to comply with the state law that requires decorative grass not used for recreation to be removed by the end of 2026 in order to save water throughout Southern Nevada.
Henderson will remove approximately 50,000 square feet of non-recreational turf, mostly from the perimeter of Sunridge Park, which they say will save about 2.75 million gallons of water a year.
As for the trees, the City claims they "have disease issues and won't do well once the grass is gone," predicting that without the turf, the trees will die within 18 months.
But it's not all bad news. Although they're taking out 17 trees, they plan to replace them with 66 new trees. Once the project is complete, Henderson officials say there will be 108 total trees at Sunridge Park, "to provide shade, reduce water consumption, collect carbon, and create a larger and more diverse canopy."
That being said, it will take a while for new trees to mature, so residents may have to sweat it out in the meantime.