Designing a Circular Campus: Turning Trees into Teaching Tools
Location: Montese 1-4 | Time: 1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
In this workshop, you’ll explore what a “circular campus” could look like by working in groups to address three key challenges:
- How to recover trees before they reach the chipper
- How to repurpose salvaged wood for everyday student use
- How to integrate these materials into curriculum
Along with your group, you’ll brainstorm bold yet practical solutions, share highlights, and then compare your ideas to two real-world case studies. The session concludes by connecting your ideas directly to these studies — highlighting what’s already possible and inspiring what could come next.
Enhancing Nature-Based Climate Resilience
Location: Montese 5-6
Time: 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Rising temperatures and flooding pose serious risks to public health, infrastructure, and urban tree canopy. In this interactive session, you'll explore data-driven tools for assessing urban heat and flood risk, and learn how nature-based solutions can help mitigate these impacts. Using the Arbor Day Foundation’s Neighborhood-Based Urban Heat & Flood Risk Assessment Implementation Template, you’ll begin crafting resilience goals and evaluating strategies tailored to your community.
Riparian Habitat Creation in Desert Environments
Bus Loads: 12:15 p.m. | Tour Time: 12:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Capacity: 100
On this tour, you’ll explore the restoration and management of forested wetlands along the Las Vegas Wash, a former natural drainage from nearby mountains into the Colorado River. These wooded areas now carry rainwater, shallow groundwater, and reclaimed wastewater. Trees and wetlands together provide vital habitat linking the Colorado River system to Nevada’s wilderness. The Henderson Bird Preserve and Clark County Wetlands Park are public resources with diverse goals and strong partnerships supporting tree and habitat stewardship. These forested oases for people and wildlife will make you forget you’re in the Las Vegas Valley.
Novel Tree Development in Hot, Arid Systems
Bus Loads: 12:30 p.m. | Tour Time: 12:45 p.m. - 4:15 p.m.
Capacity: 100
A limited supply of suitable tree species is a common challenge in urban forestry. With growing support for canopy expansion, Las Vegas Valley managers are testing new species with traits for long-term success. On this tour, you’ll visit the City of Las Vegas Nursery to see how a productive nursery was built from scratch to grow quality stock and educate partners and the public. You’ll also learn how Las Vegas addresses the challenges of growing trees in a hot, dry climate. The tour continues to the Springs Preserve, a 180-acre cultural site and botanical garden at the original Las Vegas springs, showcasing diverse desert-adapted habitats.
Urban Orchards: Using Tree Benefits to Address Food Insecurity
Bus Loads: 12:45 p.m. | Tour Time: 1:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Capacity: 100
With mild weather, abundant sunshine, and relatively few pests and diseases, fruit trees grow surprisingly well in the Las Vegas Valley. On this tour, you’ll learn how fruit trees in parks, gardens, and community centers provide shade, cooling, and a healthy local food source. Several organizations have partnered to establish fruit trees in food deserts, building on decades of research to plant and manage the best varieties for the region. The tour includes visits to a community food forest project and the University Demonstration Orchard in Las Vegas.
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