Las Vegas residents didn’t need a thermometer to know something felt off this winter. The National Weather Service later confirmed what many already sensed: Las Vegas recorded its warmest December on record in 2025, as well as its warmest January on record last month.
Those milestones are only some of the latest signs of how quickly the region is warming. A 2025 report from the independent research group Climate Central ranked Las Vegas as the second fastest-warming city in the United States, trailing only Reno.
As temperatures continue to climb faster than most places in the country, local officials are looking to trees to cool things down.
The City of Las Vegas is offering free, drought-tolerant shade trees to residents in select ZIP codes as part of its urban forestry program, a long-term effort to combat rising temperatures and improve quality of life. The initiative supports the city’s master plan goal of planting 60,000 trees across the Valley by the year 2050, with a focus on neighborhoods most affected by extreme heat.
“I wish all these trees had been planted 10 years ago,” says Brad Daseler, the city’s urban forester. “But this is what we can do. We’re getting started.”
The free tree program is funded by $5 million in federal grants and targets six ZIP codes—89101, 89102, 89104, 89106, 89107 and 89110—identified as having some of the highest temperatures in the Valley.
Residents who qualify can apply online to receive a tree, professional installation, irrigation system and one-year maintenance check, all at no cost to the homeowner.
The ZIP codes were not chosen at random, Daseler says. City planners relied on census data, temperature records and a canopy study conducted using aerial imagery to determine where tree cover is sparse, and where the urban heat island effect is highest.
“It’s the confluence of these factors that show there are the areas in most need of shade and tree canopy and greenspace,” Daseler says.
In these areas, space is dominated by asphalt, concrete and buildings that absorb heat and cause temperatures to soar above those of the surrounding areas. This is known as the urban heat island effect. Heat is absorbed during the day and released slowly at night, leaving no time for relief and serious public health consequences. For example, people may forgo paying for doctor’s appointments or prescriptions so that they can pay for their air conditioning.
Trees help by cooling the air, reducing surface temperatures and improving air quality. Their benefits extend beyond aesthetics and contribute to physical and mental well-being while making neighborhoods more livable, Daseler says.
His department manages 40,000 existing trees across city parks, medians and facilities—all in a desert environment where every tree requires special care to survive.
“This is different than places that get rainfall,” Daseler says. “Every tree that we plant, we have to provide all the infrastructure for it to succeed. I can’t just plant a tree anywhere.”
To that end, the city has invested in growing many of its own trees at municipal nurseries, allowing staff to control the quality and species selection while reducing costs. And diversifying that selection is a priority.
“We want to have trees from different families and different genes,” he says. “That helps build a healthy and resilient urban forests.”
Relying too heavily on a single species, he explains, leaves the city vulnerable to pests, disease or future climate conditions that could wipe out entire blocks of trees at once.
The program’s approved species include desert willows (native to Southern Nevada), palo verde, red push pistache and eucalyptus. All were selected for their durability, shade potential and relatively low water consumption.
“We recognize that water is a valuable resource, and we need to be good stewards of it,” Daseler says. “But green space is tied in with public health and the well-being of people in the city. ... So we’re balancing the water issue on one end, but also the need for green and shade.”
So far, the city has averaged about 1,000 tree plantings through the program, a pace that Daseler describes as steady but demanding. From application approval to installation, the process can take several weeks to a month.
Applications are available online at: cityoflasvegas.formstack.com/forms/usda_forest_service_application_form
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