Rehabilitation of the seawalls along the Tidal Basin and Potomac River in the District of Columbia will see 140 of the city’s iconic cherry trees get axed, the National Park Service said Wednesday.
The seawall work, meant to prepare for changing sea levels over the next century, is projected to take three years and cost at least $113 million, the NPS said.
To prepare the work site, 140 Japanese flowering cherry trees will be removed between the Jefferson and Franklin Delano Roosevelt memorials starting in May.
A total of 300 trees will be removed in the construction areas. The NPS plans to replant 455 trees, 274 of them cherry trees, once the project ends.
Among the trees being removed is Stumpy, a small cherry tree that has eked out a living close to a seawall despite being inundated by tides and floods.
A clipping from Stumpy will be taken and a new tree will be planted in its spot. The other cherry trees will be mulched after being cut down and used to protect the trees that remain, NPS spokesman Mike Litterst told The New York Times.
Mr. Litterst said few if any of the original cherry trees donated to D.C. by Tokyo Mayor Yukio Ozaki in 1912 still remain, as cherry trees typically live less than 50 years.
The seawalls, built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, have been damaged by age, poor drainage and rising tides.
Park officials posted on X a side-by-side comparison of what the walls look like now and what they should look like after repairs.
Time and rising sea levels have taken a toll on the now crumbling Tidal Basin seawalls. Scheduled to start in late May, a multi-year, $113 million rehabilitation project will prevent flooding, improve access & protect park resources. Learn more: https://t.co/saDFsGu34h pic.twitter.com/Avi9FxlDPt
— National Mall NPS (@NationalMallNPS) March 13, 2024
• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.
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