First off, congratulations to the Tree Risk Assessment Qualification certifications! There are approximately 20 new risk assessors in Nevada, and we are grateful and support each one! To those arborists: If there are more courses you need to further your arborist training, please respond to this email. We are here for you! 

Sign up with the awesome Las Vegas Animal Save and come help plant trees and lend a hand at the All Friends Animal Sanctuary.

One Tree Planted and the City of Las Vegas are funding 250 front yard trees and irrigation! If you live in one of the assigned zip codes you can get a tree with an automatic irrigation system installed in your front yard for $20.00 (a $500.00 value).  A once yearly pruning and inspection of tree health will be provided by Nevada Plants for the first three years after planting! Call Karla at 702-229-3422 to register!

Governor Lombardo signed AB131 into law on May 30th. AB131 creates an urban and community forestry program to help mitigate urban heat island, clean our air, create wildlife habitats, and provide shade, food, and medicines to our communities. 

We would like to express our gratitude to everyone who helped to get this bill passed: Primary sponsors Assemblywoman Lesley Cohen & Assemblyman Howard Watts, Chispa, Sierra Club Southern Nevada Group, Southern Nevada Water Authority, City of Las Vegas, City of North Las Vegas, Washoe County, City of Reno, Joe Noriega & Southern Nevada Arborist Group, Make The Road, Progressive Leadership of Nevada, Nevada Conservation League, The Nature Conservancy, Las Vegas DSA, Battle Born Progress, Citizens Climate Lobby, Nevada Environmental Justice Coalition, Nevada Clinicians for Climate Action, Somos Votantes and the Native Voters Alliance. Special Thanks to Nancy Hughes, Executive Director of California Urban Forests Council and the Nevada Division of Forestry where this NRS will Live. Big thanks to all including those we may have missed!

130 years ago, orchards were part of the backbone for a healthy diet in rural America. In the 1890s, one such orchard was part of Absolom Lehmans’ ranch in Baker, Nevada. Lehman also discovered a cave near his ranch. The cave became a tourist attraction for Lehman and the orchard became part of the business. Lehman Cave became a National Monument in 1922 and the cave became a central feature of Great Basin National Park when it was founded in 1986. The orchard had apples, apricots and pears. 

Several of the original apricots are part of the current orchard. Over the years, the orchard was variously cut back and added to. In 2022 the National Park began a program to restore the orchard using funds from the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act. Cuttings and seedlings from the orchards’ original trees were planted as well as rootstock from apple trees found along nearby creeks and pears from local ranches. The irrigation system was also upgraded. Genetic testing of the apricots found them to be of the Moorpark variety. Additional testing of the apples and pears is pending. If you get a chance to go enjoy Great Basin National Park, take a moment to visit the orchard at the Park headquarters. Fruit and nuts from local trees were always an integral part of community diets. It seems that only in the last 60 years we have lost that connection to locally sourced foods. Nevada Plants is dedicated to helping re-establish that connection, especially in under-served communities.

Written by Bill Wolf, Nevada Plants Board Member

If you received a tree from Nevada Plants and it’s struggling or has died, please reach out to us! Email info@nevadaplants.com for tree support!

We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and we rely on the support of our community to keep this project funded. Donate today to support our programs and make our world greener and healthier. 

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