This Month in Plant Protection Today - USDA Safeguards Future Cherry Blossoms on the Capital’s Tidal Basin

Lessons Learned Forge a New Way Forward [] [USDA logo] United States Department of Agriculture April 2024 Plant Protection Today [cherry tree ceremony]( Two young, thin cherry trees—each in decorative wrapping—carried tremendous symbolism during a diplomatic ceremony on April 10, 2024, at the Washington, DC, Tidal Basin. Japan’s Prime Minister Fumiko Kishida and First Lady Yuko Kishida presented them to the United States as a symbol of the two countries’ deep and lasting friendship. The trees also represented a future gift of 250 trees from Japan that will help replace more than 150 cherry trees that the U.S. National Park Service must remove as it repairs the Tidal Basin’s sea wall. Those 150 trees are all descendants of Japan’s original gift of thousands of cherry trees in 1912, which made the Tidal Basin a world-famous place of beauty and a tourist magnet. Administrator Mike Watson and Deputy Administrator Mark Davidson of USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service attended the ceremony. [Read more](. Check Out These Other Stories - [A Florida Couple is Successfully Prosecuted for Lacey Act Violations]( - [USDA and California Department of Food and Agriculture Join Forces to Safeguard Agriculture]( - [USDA Detector Dogs Combat the Fruit Fly Threat in California]( - [USDA Employees Share their Safeguarding Knowledge with African Nations]( - [PPQ Shares Methods to Aid Foreign Giant African Snail Eradication Program]( - [USDA Scientists Study Steam Heat as a Potential Treatment for Fresh Commodities]( About Plant Protection Today Every day, USDA's Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) employees collaborate with many partners, cooperators, and stakeholders to protect plant health. To stay on the leading edge, PPQ explores scientific frontiers, develops new plant protection methods, and makes critical advancements. These efforts safeguard our nation’s agricultural and natural resources while facilitating the safe global trade of agricultural products. Plant Protection Today highlights some of PPQ's most successful and impactful programs and activities. Please send your feedback and comments to: PPQ.Plant.Protection.Today@usda.gov --------------------------------------------------------------- [Bookmark and Share]( Questions about APHIS programs and services? [Contact Us]( STAY CONNECTED: [USDA blog]( [APHIS Facebook]( [APHIS Twitter]( [APHIS YouTube]( [Sign up for email updates]( [APHIS Flickr]( SUBSCRIBER SERVICES: [Manage Preferences]( | [Unsubscribe]( | [Help]( --------------------------------------------------------------- This email was sent to {EMAIL} using GovDelivery Communications Cloud on behalf of: USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service · 4700 River Rd · Riverdale, MD 20737 [GovDelivery logo](