Mulch Master's Medicine: Cherry blossom trees turned into 'wood chip therapy'

WASHINGTON (7News) — The circle of life for the beloved Yoshino cherry trees is on full display along the Tidal Basin in Southwest D.C., if you know where to look.

This year, visitors to the National Cherry Blossom Festival will notice nearly 150 missing cherry trees near the Thomas Jefferson Memorial and Potomac River - including the misshapen and battered "Stumpy" that always drew a crowd.

In total, 299 maple, elm, and cherry trees were removed for the Tidal Basin seawall renovation; four hundred trees will be replanted in their place.

The $113 million project began last August and the National Park Service (NPS) hopes it will be complete in time for the 2026 festival. The seawall was in disrepair for decades. The crumbling sidewalks and overflowing water damaged the plants' roots and created potentially dangerous conditions for tourists.

RELATED | Barges to blossoms: DC's Tidal Basin restoration project to be finished by next spring

But what happened to "Stumpy" and all those trees?

“Stumpy kind of represents all the trees that were here from that era, from that generation. And in removing those trees, we grind up the trees and we make mulch, wood chips out of them," explained Matthew Morrison, an urban forester at the National Mall and Memorial Parks.

“So, they got put in the wood chipper?” Sanchez asked.

“Yes," Morrison said with a laugh. "Yes, indeed.”

Morrison said the removed trees are still with us -- you just have to look down.

"So, this right here. This mulch that we’re looking at, this is some of the trees?” Sanchez asked as she held a piece of wood.

“This is exactly what it is. If you were to analyze this, you would find that this is cherry trees," said Morrison.

“And this part is already starting to break down, I see," commented Sanchez.

“Yup, you sure do," he said.

“And this is good stuff for the soil?”

“It’s absolute medicine," Morrison said.

In death, the Yoshinos are springing new life and helping with this year's blossoms.