F1 News: Trees in front of Bellagio being removed for grandstand

Las Vegas Tree huggers are up in arms because all the trees along the sidewalk in front of the Bellagio fountains are being cut down for the Las Vegas GP.

The trees are being taken out to improve sight lines for the grandstands planned to be built over the fountains for the inaugural race weekend scheduled for Nov. 16-18.

“This work is part of preparations for the Las Vegas Grand Prix and our efforts to provide the best possible experience through improved visibility, mobility and pedestrian access and safety,” an MGM Resorts spokeswoman said in a statement.

Some of the trees being removed will be stored off-site and will be replanted just before New Year’s Eve, while others are being removed permanently, with those trees being cut into wood chips to be used at select parks in Las Vegas.

The blog Vital Vegas on Casino.org noted Wednesday that MGM Resorts International officials said last year that the 25-year-old trees in front of the Bellagio fountains would be removed “temporarily and safely” to make room for grandstands for spectators.

“I think there should be some shade here for people like myself and my friends who need to get out of the sun,” Labore said. “Greed kills. And it just killed a bunch of trees because, let’s face it, they’re making a lot of money from the race coming here. I think it’s unfortunate. It’s good that the race is coming but it’s unfortunate that they cut down trees.”

Canadian Sarah Smith, who is visiting with some friends, said she’s also on “team tree.”

“We want the trees. They used to create so much shade. I remember now,” Smith said. “That’s very shortsighted to cut down the trees.”

The decision to cut down the trees has been criticized on X, formerly known as Twitter, and a petition circulating online is calling on MGM Resorts to take accountability and pledge to plant new trees elsewhere in the Las Vegas Valley.

The fact that we intentionally cut down trees for a race on the Las Vegas Strip makes me disgusted! Shame on you @Bellagio @F1RaceProgramme @F1 https://t.co/YmTkj8UoLy

— Wesley Powers-Sabugo (@mtrlguy) September 7, 2023

Krista Diamond, a Las Vegas resident and writer whose work has been featured in Desert Companion and Eater Las Vegas, grew concerned after seeing the pictures of the bare tree stumps on X and decided to create the Change.org petition. While she acknowledged she is “skeptical” of a petition’s ability to effect change, she said her passion to advocate for climate reform and the potential impact on heat on the Strip pushed her to set the petition up.

“We live in one of the fastest-warming cities in America and trees provide shade and so much needed cooling,” Diamond told The Nevada Independent. “I know it’s not doing much … But I think if enough people cared about this, maybe we could get some of these companies that make a lot of money to plant trees in a city that really needs them.”