BloomCam
Something is Blooming (LIVE!) on the National Mall
Washington D.C.’s cherry blossoms signal the arrival of spring and symbolize hope, renewal, and friendship. The Trust for the National Mall and its partners, the National Park Service and The National Cherry Blossom Festival want to bring these national treasures to you.
Just in time for the cherry blossom's peak bloom, the #BloomCam has launched for anyone to virtually visit the National Mall and watch spring transform America’s Front Yard.
We have partnered with EarthCam to provide BloomCam – a 24/7, live, real-time look at one of the most popular and beloved sites in Washington, D.C. The BloomCam allows people from all across the country and from around the world to enjoy the cherry blossoms. It is our goal to build a wider community of support for the long-term care and maintenance of the cherry blossoms on the National Mall.
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About the Cherry Trees
The first 3,020 cherry trees were given to the city of Washington, D.C. from Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo. Since then, the trees have been cultivated throughout the park to include more than a dozen varieties to enjoy. The Sakura, as they are known to the people of Japan, have been celebrated for centuries and hold deeply important symbolism that have drawn people together for generations. These beautiful, flowering trees adorn the National Mall with natural beauty and attract millions of visitors each year.
However, these trees’ beauty is both a gift and a challenge. National Park Service arborists prune, water, and fertilize the trees, while also fighting insects and diseases that attack trunks and leaves. The current maintenance budget of $1.2 million allocated by Congress, does not provide for emergency funds in case of extreme weather, professional development, or infrastructure improvements to help protect the trees. The extraordinary amount of foot traffic the area receives compacts the soil and damages the tree roots. Twice a day flooding along the Tidal Basin is compounding the problem, and as a result the cherry trees are dying at an annual rate of nearly three-times the normal attrition rate. Every year, the National Park Service replaces about 90 trees at a cost of $600 each. Very few of the original trees, which were given to the United States in 1912, still remain on the Tidal Basin.
The Cherry Tree Endowment
As the leading nonprofit partner of the National Park Service dedicated to restoring and improving the National Mall, the Trust for the National Mall is committed to maintaining the cherry trees to the highest possible standards and to protecting and preserving these national symbols of friendship and diplomacy on the National Mall. But, we need your help.
The Trust for the National Mall has partnered with the National Cherry Blossom Festival to launch the Endow a Cherry Tree Campaign with a goal to raise over $3.75 million to provide immediate and long-term care and maintenance of the cherry trees on the National Mall.
The Endow a Cherry Tree Campaign offers donors an opportunity to support an individual tree either through a direct donation of $1,000 for each tree, starting a team to collaborate with on peer-to-peer fundraising, or creating a fundraising page to reach a goal to endow one or more trees. Interest from the Cherry Tree Endowment will provide critical funds to the National Park Service tree maintenance team for annual care and maintenance, including tree pruning, soil remediation, and select tree replacement plantings.
By pledging your support to the Cherry Tree Endowment, you will play a key role in preserving the blossoms’ beauty on the National Mall -- and keep the Cherry Trees thriving as cultural symbols of history, cooperation, and friendship. The endowment will ensure funds beyond the National Park Service’s annual budgetary appropriations to maintain the trees and ensure they remain a vital piece of the National Mall’s future.
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