What Climate Change Means for Washington D.C.’s Famed Cherry Blossoms
By Kate Kupchak, Impact Associate
Around early spring every year, Washington D.C. erupts into pink and white, attracting an estimated 1.5 million visitors for its annual Cherry Blossom Festival (O’Boyle). Framing the national monuments, D.C. prides itself on this annual event, with its history stretching back a century.
In 1910, Tokyo Mayor Yukio Ozaki shipped nearly 2,000 trees to Washington D.C. as a symbol of friendship between Japan and the United States. Then, in 1912, the first two trees were planted by First Lady Helen Herron Taft and the wife of the Japanese Ambassador, Viscountess Chinda, on the northern bank of the Tidal Basin in West Potomac Park (National Parks Service).
Since then, this tradition of gifting and preservation has continued. For America’s 250th birthday, the Japanese Embassy plans to send the United States 250 new cherry blossom trees (DC 250). In terms of preservation, the Trump Administration, under the Executive Order on Making the District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful, has launched a seawall restoration project on the same location of these first planted trees.
Previously, the tidal basin allowed for 250 million gallons of water from the Potomac River to enter twice a day at high tide, flushing silt and sediment from the Washington Channel (National Parks Service). This location is also primarily known for its association with the Japanese cherry blossoms. However, the Tidal Basin and West Potomac Park will remain closed through the 2026 National Cherry Blossom Festival in order to allow for land and young plantings to stabilize following the new seawall construction.
For the last two millennia, global sea level was steady, however scientific models project that average sea level rise for the coastal United States could be 2.2 meters (7.2 feet) by 2100 and 3.9 meters (13 feet) by 2150 (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration). For Washington D.C. specifically, sea level is expected to rise 11 inches from 2020 to 2050 (US Sea Level Change).
Sea level rise is induced by several climate change factors such as thermal expansion (the warming and subsequent expansion of ocean water), glacial melt (previously frozen glaciers on land add to ocean water volume), and a rise in extreme storms (that corresponds to increased flooding events).
This sea level rise is reported to have effects on 111 National Park Service (NPS) sites nationwide (National Parks Service).Recent infrastructure projects have caused land surrounding the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers to sink. Coupled with sea level rise and the increased frequency of extreme storms and flooding events, the National Capital region is under extreme threat of land erosion.
Since the seawall was built in the late 19th and early 20th century, some areas have fallen by nearly five feet, with consistent reports of tidal flooding and damage to walkways and trees (National Trust for Historic Preservation). For D.C.’s cherry blossoms, sea level rise poses a major point of concern. Increased exposure to brackish water (combination of saltwater and freshwater) and soil erosion from consistent flooding events exposes tree roots, causing damage and death.
According to Department of the Interior reports on the construction, the new seawall will feature “deeper foundations, wider and more accessible pathways and a resilient design to better withstand future sea-level rise and stronger storms.”
While infrastructure projects like these help to temporarily adapt to the effects of climate change, it will likely be necessary to look towards other mitigation strategies in the future to properly preserve iconic natural landmarks like the D.C. cherry blossoms.
