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[00:00.04]Thousands of Japanese cherry trees

[00:03.80]are blooming on the National Mall

[00:06.56]in Washington, D.C.

[00:09.60]When the trees reach peak bloom,

[00:12.80]the United States' capital city

[00:15.56]is awash in pink and white.

[00:19.52]In the 1920s,

[00:21.76]the average peak bloom date was April 5.

[00:26.88]That moved up to March 31 in recent years.

[00:32.40]And the 2023 peak

[00:35.44]arrived yet a week earlier,

[00:38.40]the National Park Service said last week.

[00:43.36]"I'm feeling like this is going to be the trend"

[00:47.12]because of climate change,

[00:48.92]said Matthew Morrison.

[00:51.88]He is the park service's urban forester

[00:55.88]charged with overseeing the trees' care.

[01:00.48]The yearly National Cherry Blossom Festival

[01:03.80]will run through April 16 this year.

[01:08.60]It celebrates Japan's 1912 gift

[01:12.76]of 3,020 cherry trees

[01:16.48]to the city of Washington.

[01:19.68]Two of those trees were planted by

[01:22.52]First Lady Helen Herron Taft

[01:25.52]and Viscountess Chinda,

[01:28.88]wife of the Japanese Ambassador

[01:31.64]to the United States,

[01:33.36]with just a few onlookers present.

[01:37.48]The average life of a Japanese cherry tree

[01:41.20]is between 30 and 40 years.

[01:44.76]Yet the two trees planted by Taft and Chinda

[01:50.04]and several others

[01:51.88]are still standing 111 years later.

[01:57.72]"That defies science," said Morrison.

[02:01.12]He credited the tree's long life to

[02:04.80]"a little bit of magic"

[02:06.68]and the year-round care his team provides.

[02:12.04]Many of the 3,700 trees blooming

[02:16.76]at the park today

[02:18.40]come from cuttings from the first trees,

[02:22.20]Morrison said.

[02:24.40]Others are regularly donated

[02:27.16]by the Casey Trees group of Washington.

[02:31.76]Morrison oversees a team of just three arborists.

[02:37.92]They are charged with caring for the cherry trees

[02:41.72]and keeping a "personal health record" for each.

[02:46.68]Three years ago,

[02:48.08]Morrison introduced

[02:49.52]the practice of mulching trees

[02:52.24]with large amounts of wood chips

[02:54.76]to help their growth.

[02:57.16]As the chips break down, he said,

[03:00.04]they release fungi and bacteria

[03:03.80]to help the tree's roots.

[03:06.76]The wood chips also serve as a barrier

[03:10.12]between the grass and the trees.

[03:12.92]This prevents accidental cuts

[03:16.20]caused by lawn equipment.

[03:19.40]Morrison suggests the same practice

[03:22.52]for homeowners growing trees

[03:24.80]in their own yards.

[03:27.36]When wood chips are applied

[03:29.80]over the root areas, he said,

[03:32.44]"it would never need any fertilizer,

[03:35.72]amendments" or more water.

[03:38.92]"Even on the hottest days of summer

[03:41.88]when it hasn't rained,

[03:43.88]I dig down in the wood chips

[03:46.36]and find moisture," he said.

[03:50.08]Morrison said most of the National Mall's

[03:53.48]cherry blossom trees are Yoshino.

[03:56.48]"It's one of the best growers

[03:59.08]and the best to flower," he said.

[04:02.32]"Kwanzan cherry also is a good grower

[04:05.72]and gets a little bigger than Yoshino."

[04:09.56]As for the National Cherry Blossom Festival,

[04:12.36]there are still several events

[04:14.88]throughout Washington and its suburbs.

[04:17.80]They include a Japanese street festival,

[04:21.68]running events, fireworks,

[04:24.84]and food festivals.

[04:26.96]If you cannot make it,

[04:29.36]there is a Bloom Cam

[04:31.56]to look at the cherry blossoms.

[04:34.60]I'm Caty Weaver.

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Words in This Story

peak bloom–n. the time when cherry blossoms are at their best

trend –n. the general direction of change for a behavior, activity or development

defy –v. to refuse to obey;

magic –n. power that lets people do impossible things

arborist –n. a person who cares for and knows about trees

fungi –n. (pl.) a group of living things that are not plants or animals

moisture –n. a small amount of liquid that makes something wet