Caring for the Tidal Basin Cherry Trees
Caring for the Tidal Basin Cherry Trees
Ahead of 2025’s “Peak Bloom”, the National Park Service and the Trust for the National Mall held a Cherry Blossom Tree Care Media Availability to demonstrate how National Park Service crews care for the flowering Japanese cherry trees. And the Trust for the National Mall raises funds to help support the care of the trees and ensure they bloom each spring through its Adopt a Cherry Tree Campaign.
National Park Service crews pruned the trees, using ladders, loppers, snippers and woodchippers, part of the work that the National Park Service carries out year-round to ensure the iconic trees bloom year after year, and that this grand Washington tradition will continue blooming for generations to come.
NPS National Mall and Memorial Parks' Urban Forester Matthew Morrison shared details with journalists about the need for year-round maintenance (pruning, feeding, mulching and watering) which is critical to keep the trees and buds healthy and the roots protected so they can thrive and bloom for generations to come.
WUSA9: “DC cherry blossoms: Remember to take care of the trees, arborist says”
ABC7 News: “Mulch Master's Medicine: Cherry blossom trees turned into 'wood chip therapy'“
WTOP News: “One final trim for DC’s cherry blossom trees”
Gray Television: “Cherry Blossom Season Returns to the Nation’s Capital”
The Trust for the National Mall raises critical funds needed for the care of the cherry trees above and beyond what’s provided in the National Park Service budget. Supported by the National Cherry Blossom Festival, the Trust for the National Mall’s Adopt a Cherry Tree Program has a goal of raising $3.7 million ($1,000 for each of the 3,700 cherry trees) to help the National Park Service care for the trees and protect them for the next generation. This year, The National Cherry Blossom Festival Board of Directors has pledged that it will match the first $25,000 raised through their fundraising campaign this season. People can visit https://www.bloomcam.org/ncbf25 to donate to this campaign.