Over 100 iconic cherry trees in Washington will be cut down. So long, Stumpy

By ASHRAF KHALIL
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The sun is setting on Stumpy, the gnarled old cherry tree that has become a social media phenom. This year’s cherry blossom festivities in Washington will be the last for Stumpy and more than 100 other cherry trees that will be cut down as part of a multiyear restoration of their Tidal Basin home. Starting in early summer, crews will begin working to replace the crumbling seawall around the Tidal Basin, the area around the Jefferson Memorial with the highest concentration of cherry trees. When the project is done, 277 cherry trees will be planted as replacements.