Sean Eno

Attached to the lawsuit is a declaration from Norm Schilling, the owner of Mojave Bloom Nursery in downtown Las Vegas and a Southern Nevada horticulturist of 35 years. Schilling broke down the estimates of the 100,000 trees and $300 million worth of tree damage, adding that many trees cannot go on living once grass is disturbed. “Beyond monetary loss, the green mature canopy (and its heat mitigation benefits) cannot be replaced quickly,” Schilling wrote. “It will take decades for the Las...

“The order issued today expressly indicates it was issued solely to maintain the status quo through the hearing date, which is scheduled for Wednesday of next week. We look forward to presenting our arguments at next week’s hearing.”

Norm Schilling, a local landscaper and co-host of the show “Desert Bloom” on Las Vegas’s NPR affiliate, sees this tension encapsulated in an old walnut tree. Standing in the front yard of one of his customer’s homes in McNeil Estates—where older homes have lush landscapes—he points to a walnut tree flanked by grass. Schilling says its roots still need grass to survive