Judge pauses East Potomac tree cutting through Tuesday morning

A federal judge paused further tree cutting at East Potomac Golf Links on Monday after crews removed hundreds of trees from the Washington public course over the weekend. The Washington Examiner reported that U.S. District Judge Ana C. Reyes ordered all tree removal to stop until 7 a.m. Tuesday, October 13, including work described as routine maintenance.

The pause follows an emergency request from the D.C. Preservation League and two golfers challenging the proposed redevelopment. It leaves the longer dispute over the course unresolved while the court examines what happened during the weekend work.

FOX 5 Washington DC's Monday morning report shows the aftermath at the course. It was published before the hearing and covers the preservationists' request for a halt.

The number of trees removed remains disputed. The Examiner reported that the plaintiffs said 529 came down Saturday. Washington Sun reporters Mara Hoplamazian and Todd Ruger reported that government lawyers told the court Monday that about 430 had been removed. Those accounts should be read as competing estimates of the weekend work.

The government's own October 9 declaration describes a larger planned operation. Kevin Griess, superintendent of National Mall and Memorial Parks, said the National Park Service intended to remove up to 529 trees under a tree-management and cultural-landscape project. The first zone contained 169 trees, with another 90 in the next zone.

Griess tied the work to the course's historic design. His declaration says Walter J. Travis planned an open, links-style landscape and cites earlier NPS reports arguing that later tree growth had narrowed sightlines and changed how the course played. The agency said its project would retain historic vegetation, remove selected trees and restore views.

That filing also draws a distinction between the tree project and a potential redesign. Griess said the tree work would proceed regardless of any future renovation and would not change individual holes, routing, bunkers or greens. He said a complete course closure was not part of the project, although areas could close temporarily for safety.

Reyes's Monday intervention now puts the immediate cutting on hold. For golfers following East Potomac's future, the next question is what the court permits after the Tuesday morning deadline and how that decision affects the public course's landscape.

Sources

Judge pauses tree removal · National Park Service: Kevin Griess October 9 declaration · Monday hearing and government tree count