Beavers target DC’s Cherry Blossom trees; National Park Service on alert

Beavers causing damage to Tidal Basin trees

The National Park Service is keeping an eye on several beavers who have been snacking on Washington D.C.’s famed Cherry Blossoms. While no trees have been completely taken down, the beavers have been chomping on the bark, and their tooth marks are noticeable. FOX 5's David Kaplan has the story.

WASHINGTON - The National Park Service is keeping an eye on several beavers who have been snacking on Washington D.C.’s famed Cherry Blossoms trees.

While no trees have been completely taken down, the beavers have been chomping on the bark, and their tooth marks are noticeable.

This is not the first time there’s been a beaver or beavers at the Tidal Basin.

Vanessa Petro is a wildlife biologist for the Oregon Department of Forestry who studies beavers.

She says the way the trees have been chewed tells her this is about finding food, not a new home.

"They’re treating those river systems as an interstate, and are stopping at the National Park Service area as kind of like a rest stop because there’s food available there," Petro told FOX 5. "Granted, it’s not their preferred food species, but there’s food available there."

Beavers target DC's Cherry Blossom trees; National Park Service on alert

While the National Park Service continues to monitor this, arborists may put up some protection at the base of these trees, since stripping the bark can be harmful.

Another key factor, according to NPS Spokesperson Mike Litterst, is some of the structural issues of the basin itself.

"The issue we’re having with the sea walls is very much in play here," Litterst said. "The damaged trees we’re seeing are in the area where the sea has sunk the most. At high tide, surfs up as far as the beavers are concerned. They ride right in, they go right up to the wall there and the trees."

Repair work to fix the basin and potentially limit the risk the trees face is scheduled to start in 2024.