LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — Get paid to plant trees. It’s part of an effort to conserve water in Southern Nevada. The SNWA Water Smart Landscapes Program offers homeowners $100 per tree planted.
“It’s really good to see a whole community that has all this nonfunctional turf starting to remove it,” shared Savannah Murinchack, a Conservation Aide for the Southern Nevada Water Authority.
Murinchack spends her days helping homeowners save water. Her job is to help with their landscape conversion making sure homeowners get the rebate they are due.
“We have a rebate for our Water Smart Landscape Program that will rebate $3 per square foot and a lot of homeowners are taking advantage of that program,” Murinchack explain about grass removal rebates.
Property owners can also get $100 for each new tree planted.
“We have already seen more than 6,500 new trees added to this valley from property owners while they are replacing their grass. That is adding millions of square feet of additional tree canopy and additional shade for Southern Nevada and that is critical especially when we look at excessive heat,” argued Bronson Mack, Outreach Manager for the Southern Nevada Water Authority.
That much needed shade helps cool the immediate area and fight the urban heat island. In the desert, it is important to choose the right trees.
“There are some trees that do not qualify like a palm tree. Those kinds of trees don’t provide the kind of shade canopy that we’re ultimately looking for. There’s also some species of trees that are not going to be able to adapt to our desert environment,” Mack reported.
Certain types of pine trees have been found to struggle in the desert. They are examples of trees not on the rebate list.
Here is the full rebate list and how to start the conversion process:
Water Smart Landscapes Rebate
List of qualifying trees for tree enhancement
Where is the money coming from to pay for the trees? SNWA says funding comes through its conservation programs and grants. They say it’s been a very successful program and would like to see even more trees installed around the valley.
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