By Lee Weyhrich
In 1912, America received a gift of 1,800 Yoshino cherry trees as a gift of peace from Japan. The trees were planted along the mall in Washington D.C.. On Friday, Nov. 30 at 10 a.m. the City of Clay planted two of the descendants of those trees next to Lake Cosby.
Tamara Moriya, director of the Japan-America Society of Alabama, said 20 such trees were donated across the state to Clay, Birmingham, Huntsville, Decatur, Tuscaloosa, Auburn and Mobile. The trees planted in Clay were donated to the Freshwater Land Trust, a Birmingham-based nature conservation organization. According to Moriya, Japanese Ambassador Ichiro Fujisaki promoted the planting of Cherry trees from cuttings of the original Washington trees in honor of the 100th anniversary of the original gift
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The application process to receive trees began a year and a half ago. The first two groups listed on that application, Moriya said, were the Birmingham Botanical Gardens and the FLT.
“We couldn’t think of a better location than here in Clay within this park,” FLT Executive Director Wendy Jackson said.
According to Clay City Manager Ronnie Dixon, the trees were planted along Red Rock Ridge and Valley Trail at the edge of the water so that they would be reflected in the lake as they are at the Mall in Washington. The trees will reach maturity within six to eight years. When full grown, the trees will have a trunk diameter of roughly 10 inches and a 20 foot canopy. The trees have a life-span of only 35 years but according to Moriya spliced cuttings can be taken from the trees and replanted indefinitely.
Moriya said the Cherry blossom in Japan is a symbolic of the fleeting nature of life and the need to enjoy it. To her these trees are also symbolic of new life.
“It is so sad to see trees still down from the storm,” Moriya said. “It is great to see some new ones being planted.”
Among the attendees were Michael Ciamarra, director of policy for the office of the Alabama Senate Majority Leader, State Senator Slade Blackwell and Clay Mayor Charles Webster.