Russ Thompson has a passion for plants, pruning and people. Photo courtesy: Christina Thompson.

Blair noted that most arborists were a combination of both. Truthfully, most arborists are multi-faceted and defy categorization. Russ Thompson is no exception.

The Bronx meets the Southwest Desert in the gruff-talking, sarcastic, kind, passionate, droll, considerate, dedicated, intelligent, hilarious friend of arboriculture, professionalism and education. Thompson is impossible to pigeonhole, but easy to like.

“Russ comes off as this brash and arrogant New Yorker (which he is) but he is as loyal as the day is long and very dedicated to his commitments and his friends,” says Dennis Swartzell, co-owner of Horticulture Consultants, Inc., in Las Vegas, NV and columnist forSouthwest Trees & Turf.

Thompson’s fascination with horticulture started early. “As a young child growing up in an apartment in the Bronx, I had a couple of small window boxes. I tried to grow some flowers, which never really flowered and vegetables that never really produced, but I had some great-looking green stems and leaves,” he recalls.

“I guess at the time I thought that planting seeds and watching them grow was pretty cool. I remember checking them every day when I got home from school and finally seeing leaves emerge from the soil. At the time, I didn’t realize they were cotyledons and thought I had the wrong plant growing!”

Thompson also remembers gazing out the window of his third-story apartment, looking down at the oaks and maples that were home to all number of squirrels and birds. “The fall colors were pretty spectacular, as well,” he remembers. He was also intrigued by the huge oaks at Van Cortland Park, only a few blocks away, wondering about how ancient they had to be.

At the tender age of 13, he began working at his aunt and uncle’s retail nursery and garden center in Yonkers, NY in the summer. “Mom didn't want me hanging out on the streets of the Bronx. I’m not sure how I felt about it then, but I certainly thank her for it now,” he says. “There were too many temptations out there…good thinking, Mom!”

His interest in plants led to his enrolling in a nursery management program at State University of New York in Farmingdale, where he earned an associates degree in 1974. But it was love that brought him out to the desert.

“Cathy, now my wife of 30 years, and I had grown up in the same neighborhood, but we didn't know each other. Her family had moved to Las Vegas in 1973 and we met when she came back to New York for a visit in 1977,” Thompson says. “I decided to follow her back here to Las Vegas in 1978 and we were married a year later. It was the smartest thing I ever did!”

The couple raised two children, Russell and Christina. “They are wonderful young adults that any parent would be proud of,” Thompson enthuses.

Although he was an accomplished horticulturist, the desert was a new challenge for him. “Linn Mills was certainly a mentor. Soon after I arrived in Las Vegas, he began teaching me the differences between east and west horticulture. Wow, talk about a shocker!” Thompson admits. “Through the years he encouraged and inspired me to share what I knew and learned with others.”

Mills, author and horticulture advisor at the Springs Preserve in Las Vegas, recalls Thompson’s early days. “He came to town a little on the green side and his thirst for knowledge has made him one of the most outstanding arborists in Southern Nevada,” Mills says.

Thompson went to work with Clark County Department of Parks and Recreation, Maintenance Division shortly after arriving in Las Vegas, and has been there for 30 years. Although his official title is Senior Management Analyst, he has a wide range of horticultural and arboricultural responsibilities, including training.

And training and education is something that really makes Thompson shine. His sense of humor is especially valuable when lecturing and speaking at seminars.

“I really enjoy hearing Russ speak to a crowd,” says Tony Valenti, owner of First Choice Tree Service in Las Vegas. “He did a presentation at the annual pruning seminar at the University of Nevada Las Vegas that was so funny! He had the whole crowd laughing! It was hilarious, but educational at the same time.”

Swartzell, who has presented in tandem with Thompson, agrees. “Russ is always a hoot. Never give him a photo opportunity that he can exploit,” he says. “Once he had photos of me and him fictitiously depicted in a marathon, a bike race, and as body builders while we were doing a certified arborist training session.”

Although Thompson is dedicated to the green industry and education, he is a family man with what some might call “old-fashioned” values. “Although my father died when I was 14, at a very young age he taught me about love for God and country. Both my parents grew up during the Depression and taught my brother and me to appreciate what we had,” he says. “Our country isn't without flaws but one should be grateful to live here and not take what we have for granted.

“My mother has always been independent,” Thompson continues. “Even today, at the age of 92, she rarely seeks help from others. I know that some of that self-reliant attitude rubbed off on me. My brother and I were taught to work hard, stand on our own two feet, do the right thing, and treat others as we would like to be treated.

“Speaking of my older brother, Rich made certain that I had, and kept, a sense of humor,” he notes. “The ability to laugh, even at ones own expense, was a must in the Thompson household! A good sense of humor is a big part of who I am.”

Thompson’s constant effort to learn and grow is also part of what he is. “I admire him so much because he has devoted his whole career training and understanding of the urban forest,” says Lisa Ortega, urban forester for the city of Henderson, NV. “He invests a lot of time educating himself about what’s going on.”

Valenti agrees. “He thinks before he answers a question. If he doesn’t know the answer, he’ll find out and get right back to you,” Valenti says. “It’s really a pleasure working with him.”

“He gets it,” concludes Ortega. “He sees what we need. He educates – public officials, his coworkers and all those other folks that work in the urban forest. That what he does and he’s really good at it.”