Politics · United States · 1 day ago
Crews begin removing 169 trees at Washington golf course
Crews from the Interior Department began removing 169 trees at East Potomac Golf Course in Washington, DC.
The National Park Service says the work is routine maintenance to address overgrowth and potential hazards, separate from any renovation.
The agency plans to remove as many as 529 trees in total, including another 90 at a later date.
Preservationists and local residents are angry about the removal, and a lawsuit seeks to stop the proposed renovation.
President Donald Trump has said he wants to turn the public course into a championship-level course.
The Park Service says no healthy trees that contribute to the historic course, including healthy historic cherry trees, will be removed as part of this work.
The agency plans to seek bids for the course renovation in January 2027.
Interior Department crews began removing 169 trees at East Potomac Golf Course in Washington, DC, on Saturday.
The National Park Service said the work is routine maintenance to address tree overgrowth and potential hazards.
The agency plans to remove as many as 529 trees at the site, according to court documents.
Preservationists and local residents have objected, while plaintiffs in a federal lawsuit say maintenance projects are part of a broader renovation effort.
President Donald Trump has said he intends to turn the public course into a championship-caliber course.
- Who
- Interior Department crews, including the National Park Service, began the tree removal.
- What
- Crews began removing 169 trees at East Potomac Golf Course. The National Park Service says the work is routine maintenance.
- When
- Saturday, October 10, 2026.
- Where
- East Potomac Golf Course in Washington, DC.
- Why
- The National Park Service says the work will address tree overgrowth and potential hazards and restore the course.
National Park Service and Interior Department
Preservationists and plaintiffs in the federal lawsuit
Purpose of tree work
National Park Service and Interior Department
The National Park Service says the work is routine maintenance and is separate from any renovation or redesign.
Preservationists and plaintiffs in the federal lawsuit
Plaintiffs contend that separate maintenance projects are part of the administration’s broader plan.
Tree removal
National Park Service and Interior Department
The agency says the work is needed to address tree overgrowth and potential hazards, and says healthy trees that contribute to the historic course will not be removed.
Preservationists and plaintiffs in the federal lawsuit
Preservationists and DC residents have expressed anger about the tree removal.
The planned tree management and cultural landscape rehabilitation project is not a renovation or redesign of the Golf Course, is not a part of any potential project to redesign or renovate the Golf Course, and would be carried out irrespective of any future renovation or redesign
The National Park Service is finally implementing a 7-year-old plan to address tree overgrowth at East Potomac Golf Course.
This carefully planned work is part of our required stewardship of the park
No healthy trees that are contributing features of the historical golf course (such as healthy, historic cherry trees) will be removed as part of this project.
At a hearing, Judge Ana Reyes said people were upset about the tree removal; administration lawyers said about 150 trees had already been cut down.
The National Park Service told a court it planned to begin removing 169 trees the next day.
Interior Department crews began removing trees in an area of the course nicknamed Trash Island.
The National Park Service says another 90 trees will be cleared at a later date.
The National Park Service is set to begin soliciting bids to remake the public golf course.
- Trees planned for removal on Saturday
- 169
- Maximum planned removals at the site
- 529
- Trees already cut down
- About 150, according to administration lawyers
- Additional trees planned for later
- 90
- Estimated preliminary cost of proposed course project
- $20 million to $49 million
- Bids for course remake
- Solicitation set to begin in January 2027
Sources
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