In 1910, Japan’s gift of 2,000 cherry trees to Washington was burned after pest checks, helping spur a new US plant-quarantine law

Before Washington’s famous cherry blossoms, a 1910 shipment from Japan was burned over insects and disease, and the fallout reshaped U.S. plant rules. Every spring, Washington, D.C., turns pink and white, and crowds gather along the Tidal Basin to take photos. Few know that the first cherry trees Japan sent to the capital ended up in a bonfire. U.S. Customs and Border Protection says the trees had to be destroyed because of an insect infestation. The incident helped build support for the Plant Quarantine Act of 1912.The first Japanese cherry trees sent to Washington in 1910 were burned after inspectors found pests. The episode strengthened support for the Plant Quarantine Act of 1912. Japan sent 3,020 replacement trees, two of which were planted on the Tidal Basin in 1912, beginning a lasting tradition. (Wikimedia Commons)The story begins with David Fairchild of the Department of Agriculture, who in 1908 gave cherry saplings to every school in the District to plant on Arbor Day. He wanted to turn Washington into a city of cherry trees. Eliza Ruhamah Scidmore heard his speech and began a campaign to bring cherry trees to the capital, writing to First Lady Helen Taft, who supported the plan. Japan learned of the proposal through diplomatic channels, and chemist Jokichi Takamine enlisted his friend Yukio Ozaki, the mayor of Tokyo, to help. The first shipment reached Seattle on Dec. 10, 1909, and continued to Washington by train. A team of scientists led by Charles L. Marlatt found scale insects and root gall and recommended destroying the trees. President William Howard Taft approved the plan on Jan. 28, 1910, and the trees were burned.The woman who waited 24 yearsScidmore’s interest in the project went back decades. The National Park Service’s history of the cherry trees says she returned from her first trip to Japan in 1885 and proposed planting cherry trees along the reclaimed Potomac waterfront. Her request went unanswered, as did her appeals to successive superintendents of public buildings and grounds over the next 24 years.Her breakthrough came in April 1909, when Helen Herron Taft, who had lived in Japan, answered her note within two days. The day after the first lady’s letter, Takamine, the chemist known for discovering adrenaline, offered to donate 2,000 cherry trees to fill out the area. Taft accepted, and the gift was to be made in the name of the city of Tokyo.Those trees reached Washington on Jan. 6, 1910, but were destroyed within weeks. The National Park Service’s historical account records that the secretary of state wrote to the Japanese ambassador to express deep regret. The Japanese side responded with determination and goodwill. Ozaki and other officials then proposed a replacement donation, which the Tokyo City Council approved. The new gift eventually grew to 3,020 trees.A white Cherry Blossom in Washington, DC. (Wikimedia Commons)How the bonfire changed U.S. lawAgriculture officials treated the destruction as a warning about the risks of importing plants. Secretary James Wilson and his staff used the incident to highlight the dangers that imported insects and plant diseases posed to American agriculture. Their scientific findings added weight to concerns raised by state officials. By then, 39 states had passed their own plant quarantine laws, and calls for a national law dated back to at least 1898. The Plant Quarantine Act took effect Aug. 20, 1912. It established the Federal Horticultural Board and provided a framework for federal plant quarantines.The replacement donation took shape over the next two years. In December 1910, scions were cut from a well-known collection of cherry trees along the Arakawa River in Adachi Ward, a district of Tokyo. They were then grafted onto rootstock grown in Itami City, Hyogo Prefecture. A shipment of 3,020 trees representing 12 varieties left Yokohama aboard the S.S. Awa Maru on Feb. 14, 1912, and arrived in Washington on March 26 after crossing to Seattle and traveling east by rail in insulated freight cars.The next day, First Lady Taft and Viscountess Chinda, the wife of the Japanese ambassador, planted two Yoshino cherry trees on the Tidal Basin’s northern bank. Only a few people witnessed the ceremony. The National Park Service traces the National Cherry Blossom Festival to that planting, although the first festival was not held until 1935. A bronze plaque near the trees commemorates the occasion.The friendship endured beyond the ceremony. U.S. Customs and Border Protection records that the replacement trees were fumigated before shipment. About 11 years after the planting, Ozaki and his family visited the grove. The next time a cherry blossom photo scrolls past, remember that the scene owes part of its history to a pest inspection and a diplomatic gesture that survived a difficult start.The Hindustan Times US Desk brings you the latest news and developments from across the United States. The team covers everything from breaking news and politics to sports, business, entertainment and stories that are trending across the country. Our coverage includes the White House, Congress, US elections, immigration and visa updates, H-1B, green cards, Social Security, education, jobs, layoffs, the economy, technology and major policy changes. We also closely follow stories that matter to Indian and South Asian communities in the US. The desk covers major US sports, including the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL, along with player news, injuries, schedules, results and major events. Entertainment coverage includes Hollywood, celebrities, television, streaming, music and pop culture. 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