The Southern Nevada Water Authority minted a deal to put up to $500,000 toward tree planting in the Las Vegas Valley amid community concern that mandated grass removal is killing off existing canopy. … The deal comes three days after four valley residents filed a lawsuit against the agency over its ban on “useless grass,” or grass that a committee has deemed must be removed before the end of this year, when a state law passed in 2021 takes effect. In the complaint, Las Vegas arborist Norm Schilling wrote that the required removal of grass directly under trees, contributing to the disturbance of root systems, has resulted in the demise of some 100,000 trees and has caused roughly $300 million in damage across the valley.

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