Cherry Blossom Festival visitors will be steered away from hundreds of new trees The National Park Service is planting 400 new Yoshino cherry trees around the Tidal Basin and the National Mall, part of a larger effort to enhance the area’s landscape and protect it from flooding. These trees, including 250 gifted by Japan to commemorate the United States’ 250th birthday, will be strategically placed along a newly completed sea wall. The original cherry blossom trees, gifted by Japan in 1912, have long symbolized the friendship between the two nations, and the new saplings are intended to carry that legacy forward. Masatsugu Odaira, the Japanese Embassy’s minister for public affairs, emphasized the significance of the gift, stating, “This is the symbol of the friendship between the two countries, as well as a gift for the next generation. We are looking forward to these cherry blossom trees in bloom for many years to come.” The trees will be planted as the weather warms, according to National Mall Superintendent Kevin Griess, who warned that premature planting could jeopardize their survival. The seawall project, which was completed in December, aims to strengthen the Potomac River shoreline from the Jefferson Memorial to the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial. The area had frequently flooded during high tide, and 140 existing trees were removed to make way for the reconstruction. Griess noted that the project is both under budget and ahead of schedule, with an estimated $30 million saved for taxpayers. Visitors to the Tidal Basin this year may encounter the new saplings, but access to the seawall and planting areas will be restricted during the Cherry Blossom Festival. Griess urged the public to respect these zones, advising against touching the trees or taking them home. “Don’t hang on them.#national_park_service #tidal_basin #national_mall #japanese_embassy #masatsugu_odaira
