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Tag: stumpy

  • DC’s Tidal Basin sea wall reconstruction completed months ahead of schedule and millions under budget – WTOP News

    The National Park Service announced that the first step in protecting D.C.’s Tidal Basin from flooding and aging infrastructure has finished eight months ahead of schedule.

    The National Park Service announced that the first step in protecting D.C.’s Tidal Basin from flooding and aging infrastructure has finished eight months ahead of schedule.

    The now completed reconstruction of the Tidal Basin sea wall is one of the two phases in the project dedicated strengthening the shoreline around the Jefferson Memorial, the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial and the cherry blossom trees, according to a National Park Service news release on Wednesday.

    The original sea wall was built in the late 1800s and early 1900s. After over a century, the south side wall had settled more than five feet, leaving the famous cherry blossom trees, monuments and walkways victim to frequent flooding.

    The NPS said the new sea wall has deeper foundations, wider walkways and a resilient infrastructure that can handle stronger storms and rising sea-levels.

    The next phase? To plant over 400 new trees, including almost 270 additional cherry blossom trees.

    The overall project is expected to finish eight months ahead of schedule and $30 million under budget in May of 2026, officials said in the release.

    The south side portion of the Tidal Basin and parts of the West Potomac Park will remain closed through the 2026 National Cherry Blossom Festival but will reopen shortly after when the replanting is completed.

    The reconstruction is funded by the Great American Outdoors Act and supporting the executive order on Making the District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful. 

    In 2024, the National Park Service removed over 300 trees for the reconstruction, including the famous cherry blossom tree, Stumpy.

    The Washington Monument is visible behind a cherry tree affectionally nicknamed ‘Stumpy’, Tuesday, March 19, 2024 in Washington.  (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)

    Public outcry over the removal of Stumpy led the National Park Service to collect clippings from the tree. The National Arboretum hopes to use those clippings to continue the legacy and lineage of the iconic cherry blossom tree.

    But, for all the diehard Stumpy fans out there, it doesn’t look like Stumpy will be a part of the new cherry blossom recruits in the New Year’s replanting.

    Mike Litterst, the chief of communications and spokesperson for the National Park Service, told WTOP that while he does need to get an update from the arboretum, the cuttings aren’t expected to be ready for the next couple of years.

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    © 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

    Abigail Stuckrath

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  • Stumpy, DC’s famous cherry blossom tree, dead at 25 – WTOP News

    Stumpy, DC’s famous cherry blossom tree, dead at 25 – WTOP News

    Stumpy, a well-known cherry blossom tree at D.C.’s Tidal Basin, has died at the estimated age of 25, the National Park Service said.

    File photo of Stumpy, the cherry blossom tree at the Tidal Basin in D.C. (WTOP/Jimmy Alexander)

    Stumpy, a crowd-favorite cherry blossom tree at D.C.’s Tidal Basin, has died at the estimated age of 25. It was the victim of failing seawalls requiring repair, according to a statement from the National Park Service.

    Stumpy’s exact age had been unknown for years due to a lack of countable rings inside its hollowed trunk.

    As hollow as his stump may have been, many people said Stumpy was a tiny cherry blossom tree with a whole lot of heart — and one with a whole lot of fans. Stumpy was slight yet iconic, capturing the hearts of D.C. residents and tourists who were all rooting for the little tree through its final moments.

    Born and raised in the tough waters of the Tidal Basin, Stumpy was known amongst its arboreal peers as a sweetheart and even a class clown. It especially loved to take photos with visitors, never allowing its mounting health concerns to compromise its flowery smile.

    During his last bloom, visitors came to the Tidal Basin to share hopes and well wishes for the little cherry tree that could, encouraging the National Parks Service to #SaveStumpy any way it could.

    Stumpy first stepped into the spotlight circa 2020, when it went viral on Reddit for being compared to one user’s love life.

    Leading up to its death, it entered what tree doctors called a “mortality spiral” — dealing with old age, it also had sun scalding on its bark, advancing fungi, and lived in depleted and compacted soils.

    Stumpy died on May 24; it was one of approximately 150 trees removed between the Thomas Jefferson Memorial and Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial.

    Stumpy is survived by thousands of family members and friends in the U.S. and internationally, with many relatives in Japan.

    After Stumpy’s loss, the National Park Service said 274 more cherry trees will be replanted in the area.

    Arborists also grabbed clippings from Stumpy in the hopes of expanding its lineage and keeping the tilted titan of the Tidal Basin around for years to come. Those little ones will hopefully be propagated and grow up to be just as impactful as their Prunus parent.

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    © 2024 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

    Dana Sukontarak

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