The National Park Service Announces Removal Of Around 140 Of D.C.’s Iconic Cherry Blossoms To Construct Improved Sea Wall

Stumpy the cherry tree in Washington D.C.

High tide water reaches to the base of a cherry tree nicknamed “Stumpy” on March 20, 2024, at the Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C. A thank-you note from a visitor adorns the trunk of the tree. The National Park Service announced that it will begin to cut down over 140 cherry blossom trees around the Tidal Basin and West Potomac Park in anticipation of construction for an upgraded sea wall, in order to guard against increased flooding from human-caused sea level rise. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)