Stumpy, a beloved hollow cherry tree located on the south bank of the Tidal Basin in Washington, will be removed later this year alongside hundreds of other trees that will be cut down for a seawall rebuilding effort led by the National Park Service.
The name was given to the stump-shaped cherry tree in 2020 by a Reddit user who posted the tree was as dead as his love life. Since that post, the tree's popularity has grown yearly, and Stumpy's resilience has been celebrated. The tree has survived years of flooding tides from the Potomac River, and beavers browsing for bark.
"Stumpy is such a unique and well-loved tree because it's small and deals with Tidal Basin flooding daily," said Dave Lyons, a D.C.-area photographer. "Yet it's full of beautiful cherry blossoms. Everyone cheers for the little guy."
Still, the tree's days are numbered as the National Park Service prepares for a $113 million multi-year repair effort to Tidal Basin and West Potomac Park seawalls. About 300 trees overall, including more than 150 of the iconic cherry trees, will be removed.
Human-caused climate change -- which is driving a rise in sea levels in tidal waters -- is partially to blame for Stumpy's fate.
"Portions of the sea walls have settled as much as five feet since their initial construction from the late 1800s to the early 1900s," the Park Service said. "As a result of the settling and sea level rise, water flows over portions of the sea walls twice a day during normal tidal conditions."
Mike Litterst, communications chief for the National Mall and Memorial Parks, said their announcement of the sea wall repair and tree removal was purposely made before the cherry blossom bloom this year so people could travel to the Tidal Basin and visit Stumpy one last time during peak bloom. He expects the Tidal Basin and the now famous tree will see huge crowds at peak bloom next week.
The Credit Union Ten Mile Run and 5K, one of the premier road races in the D.C. area, will commemorate Stumpy during the races of April 6-7 with an image of Stumpy on race T-shirts, on race medals, and a full-size Stumpy mascot.
"This news (from the NPS) makes 2024 the perfect year for us to celebrate Stumpy," said Phil Stewart, director of the cherry blossom races.
Litterst said the sea wall project will begin in May, and the Stumpy and the rest of the trees will likely be cut down in June. He explained that replanting mature trees is too costly and challenging, particularly given the number of trees needing removal. Thus, removal is necessary.
Clippings from Stumpy will be sent to the National Arboretum to create genetic matches. The hope is to plant little Stumpy clones on the National Mall or nearby parks in the future. The rest of Stumpy and the other trees will be ground into mulch and spread around the remaining cherry tree bases to protect the tree roots and provide nutrients to the soil. It's the "Circle of Life," Litterst explained.
On a sunny Thursday morning on the Tidal basin, three news crews filmed the tree and countless tourists stopped to take photos. Litterst laughed as he noted that while the National Mall has so much to offer -- with its impressive memorials, monuments, trees, and history -- people continually ask where they can find Stumpy, one of the Tidal Basin's smallest and most distressed trees.
If you're looking for it yourself, the tree is near the Jefferson Memorial, just to the west. It's about a one-minute walk from the Jefferson. But you can also look for the crowd.
Michael E. Ruane contributed to this report.
This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2024/03/14/stumpy-tidal-basin-last-bloom/
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