More than 100 cherry trees are set to be removed from the Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C., this spring.
The National Park Service announced Wednesday about 140 cherry trees will be removed this May in order to construct a more secure sea wall around the Tidal Basin to protect the Thomas Jefferson Memorial and Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial.
“Despite various repairs over the decades, the sea walls are no longer structurally sound and threaten visitor safety and the historic setting, including the cherry trees around the Tidal Basin,” the NPS said in a statement.
The trees will still be around for this year’s National Cherry Blossom Festival, which draws in more than a million visitors to Washington each year. The Tidal Basin is lined with nearly 3,800 cherry trees.
“Age, rising sea levels and poor drainage have taken a toll on the Tidal Basin and West Potomac Park seawalls. Portions of the seawalls have settled as much as five feet since their initial construction from the late 1800s to the early 1900s,” the NPS said. During normal tide conditions, water currently flows over the sea walls twice a day.
After completion of the project in 2027, the NPS said it will plant 270 additional trees where the old ones were.
The NPS is expecting the sea wall restoration project to take three years and cost $113 million. It said the investment will protect the area from rising sea levels for the next 100 years. Funding for the project comes from the Great American Outdoors Act, which provides $1.3 billion per year for five years to make improvements to America’s national parks.
“Stumpy,” a small cherry tree that went viral in 2020, is also set to be removed. The NPS said it will take clippings from Stumpy to create a new baby tree in the same location.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The other trees being removed will be turned into mulch to provide protection for the newly planted trees.
In 1912, Washington was gifted the original cherry blossom trees by the mayor of Tokyo. The lifespan of a cherry tree is about 50 years, so most of the original cherry trees have died. The NPS said it is unclear, but unlikely, any of the 140 trees being removed are original.