Japan Getting D.C. Cherry Trees

Olive branches are the proverbial gift of peace between countries.  But to be a little different, the United States and Japan exchange cherry trees.

The United States Park Service will send clippings from cherry trees here in Washington over to Tokyo, as part of the 100th anniversary of the Tidal Basin cherry trees.

In all, 144 cuttings will be culled from trees in the National Arboretum for the gift.  Those cuttings will come from the original Yoshino cherry trees that Japan had gifted to the United States in 1912.

Once they cross the Pacific, the clippings will be grafted on to existing cherry trees.  This procedure will allow the historic line of trees to continue, on both sides of the ocean.

Throughout history, the two countries have had a tradition of swapping cherry branches.  The U.S. sent cuttings over to Japan in 1952 to help regrow ancient cherry forests outside of Tokyo.  In 1965, Japan sent a gift of an additional 3,800 trees to the United States.

The exchange began a century ago.  In 1910, the Japanese government sent a gift of 1,000 cherry trees to the Taft administration.  Those trees were infested with bugs and had to be burned.  But two years later, another shipment of over 3,000 healthy trees arrived in Washington, which remain around the capital today.

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