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Washington D.C. officials say some of the city's famous cherry trees will need to be cut down as part of a major improvement project.
华盛顿特区官员表示，作为一项重大改善工程的一部分，将需要砍伐该市一些著名的樱花树。
Up to 1.5 million people are expected to visit America's capital in the early spring to attend the city's National Cherry Blossom Festival.
初春时节，预计将有多达150万人来到华盛顿特区，参加国家樱花节。
The event celebrates Japan's 1912 gift to the city of about 3,000 cherry trees.
这项活动是为了庆祝日本1912年赠送给这座城市的约3000棵樱花树。
During the festival, blossoms on the cherry trees are in full bloom.
节日期间，樱花盛开。
The main part of the festival takes place around Washington's Tidal Basin, the area near the Jefferson Memorial that has many cherry trees.
樱花节的活动主要在华盛顿潮汐湖附近举行。该区域靠近杰斐逊纪念堂，那里种植了许多樱花树。
But the Tidal Basin – which is connected to the nearby Potomac River – is in need of repairs.
但是，与附近波托马克河相连的潮汐湖现在需要维修。
Currently, when water levels rise, flooding puts some trees under several centimeters of water.
目前，当水位上升，洪水会将一些树木淹没在几厘米深的水中。
The improvement work will aim to build up and improve an old seawall meant to hold back the floodwaters.
此次修缮工程的目的是加固和改善用于阻挡洪水的旧湖堤。
The U.S. National Park Service oversees the Tidal Basin, as well as the large green area of downtown Washington D.C. known as the National Mall.
美国国家公园管理局负责管理潮汐湖以及华盛顿市中心被称为国家广场的大片绿地。
Officials say about 300 trees – including nearly 160 cherry trees – will be cut down during the work.
官员们说，在施工期间将砍伐约300棵树，其中包括近160棵樱花树。
After the improvements, about 300 trees will be planted as replacements.
工程结束后，将种植约300棵树作为替代。
Mike Litterst is a spokesman for the National Park Service.
迈克·利特斯特（Mike Litterst）是美国国家公园管理局的发言人。
He told The Associated Press (AP) the $133 million project is expected to take about three years.
他告诉美联社（AP），这个项目花费1.33亿美元，预计将耗时三年左右。
"It's certainly going to benefit the visitor experience, and that's very important to us," Litterst said.
利特斯特说：“完成修缮肯定会有利于游客的体验，这对我们来说非常重要。”
But he added that most of all, it would "benefit the cherry trees, who right now are every day, twice a day, seeing their roots inundated with the brackish water of the Tidal Basin."
但他补充说，最重要的是，这将“造福于樱花树，现在它们的根部每天都要被潮汐湖的咸水淹没两次”。
Litterst said the removed trees will be ground up and mixed with nutrient rich soil to be used to protect the roots of surviving trees.
利特斯特说，砍掉的树木将被碾碎，与营养丰富的土壤混合，用来保护其余树木的根部。
This way, the effort can be seen as providing "a good second life" for the trees being cut down, he added.
他补充说，这样一来，就可以认为这项工作为砍掉的树木提供了“美好的第二次生命”。
One of the trees set to be removed from around the Tidal Basin received so much attention in 2020 that it became a social media star.
潮汐湖畔一棵将被砍伐的树木曾在2020 年受到广泛关注，成为社交媒体上的明星。
The tree, nicknamed Stumpy, is short and oddly shaped compared to others in the area.
这棵树绰号“矮墩墩”（Stumpy），与该区域的其他树木相比，它矮小而且形状怪异。
At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Stumpy's popularity led to the sale of many tree-related materials.
在新冠疫情的高峰期，“矮墩墩”的知名度带动了许多与树有关的材料的销售。
The tree was also a common spot for visitors to take "selfies" while standing next to Stumpy.
这棵树旁也是游客“自拍”的常见地点。
Officials said the U.S. National Arboretum came up with a way to save the memory of Stumpy.
官员们说，美国国家植物园想出了一个办法来保存关于“矮墩墩”的记忆。
Scientists plan to capture genetic material and use it to create new copies, or clones, of the famous tree.
科学家们计划收集这棵著名的树的遗传物质，用来复制或克隆。
Organizers of the yearly event said that because of changing climate, the festival's "peak bloom" is beginning earlier and earlier.
国家樱花节的活动组织者称，由于气候变化，樱花节的“盛花期”开始得越来越早。
The peak period describes when at least 70 percent of the city's 3,700 cherry trees will be flowering.
盛花期是指全市3,700棵樱花树中，至少有70%开花的时期。
This year, peak bloom was expected to happen on March 23, the AP reports.
据美联社报道，今年的盛花期预计在3月23日开始。
But the official start of the event ended up being declared on March 17.
但最终宣布正式开始的时间是3月17日。
By comparison, 2013's peak bloom began on April 9.
相比之下，2013 年的盛花期始于4月9日。
Leslie Frattaroli is national resources program manager for the Park Service.
莱斯利·弗拉塔罗利（Leslie Frattaroli）是国家公园管理局的国家资源项目经理。
She told the AP in February that peak bloom could regularly come in the middle of March by 2050.
她在2月份告诉美联社，到2050年，盛花期可能会定期在3月中旬到来。
I'm Bryan Lynn.
布莱恩·林恩为您播报。
译文为可可英语翻译，未经授权请勿转载！
