The Washoe County School District has responded to one local reader’s concerns over trees being cut down during the summer break at Roy Gomm Elementary School.
“An erosion prevention project was performed at Roy Gomm Elementary School over the summer months to repair damage to the play area resulting from earlier flooding events, and help redirect water away from the field and playground. This project necessitated the removal of six trees,” Victoria Campbell, the district’s Public Information Officer wrote back to Our Town Reno.
“As part of the project, six new trees were planted at the site to replace the ones that were removed.”
“This week, on one of the hottest days of the year, children returned to Roy Gomm Elementary in southwest Reno to find their playground stripped bare,” the reader had written as kids returned to school this past week with temperatures in the 90s.
“The shade-giving, air-cooling trees they loved were gone—replaced by a sterile spread of decomposed granite, sharp rocks, and a high fence. The sun now beats down harder than ever. In Reno, the fastest-warming city in the nation, trees are not a luxury—they are essential for health, comfort, and learning. So why were they cut down? Were children and their caregivers even consulted? Likely, we’ll hear the familiar justifications: safety concerns, claims the trees were old, or that they obstructed maintenance work. But none of these explanations justify clearing them all.
This is more than the loss of trees. It’s a loss of connection—to the natural environment, to community, and to children’s own voices in decisions that shape their daily lives. If we want healthy, engaged future citizens, we must protect green spaces and involve young people in the choices that affect them.”
Our Town Reno reporting, August 2025
