How climate change is affecting DC's iconic cherry blossoms

[Uncle Joe]

Stumpy the mascot dances near 'Stumpy' the cherry tree at the tidal basin in Washington, D.C., on Mar...Show more
Nathan Ellgren/AP

Over the last century, sea levels in the Washington, D.C. area have risen by more than a foot, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The National Trust for Historic Preservation named the Tidal Basin as one of the U.S.’s most endangered historic places in 2019.

The seawalls, which includes the flowering cherry trees marked for removal, are no longer structurally sound, NPS officials said. The settlement of the seawalls and rising sea levels mean that water flows over portions of the seawalls twice a day during normal tidal conditions.

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In this screen grab from a video, National Symphony Orchestra trumpeter Michael Harper plays a song...Show more
WJLA

Thousands of Japanese cherry trees were given to the U.S. in 1912 by then-Tokyo Mayor Yukio Ozaki as a symbol of friendship.

A trumpeter from the National Symphony Orchestra played an elegy in honor of Stumpy's final bloom on Wednesday.

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https://abcnews.go.com/US/climate-change-affecting-dcs-iconic-cherry-blossoms/story?id=108318015

[appalachiablue]

1. Thanks for the article UJ. Lovely trees and tradition, what a shame.