The trunk of a Dupont Circle tree, covered in dozens of handwritten farewell notes from neighbors, will come down the week of Sept. 14.

The National Park Service announced Monday, Sept. 14, that crews will remove what remains of one of the largest trees in the circle. The tree snapped about 15 feet up during a storm that hit overnight Sept. 3–4. Its bulk toppled onto the north access path toward New Hampshire Avenue, blocking foot traffic since Sept. 4.

The agency said it will plant a replacement but has not confirmed a date or species.

A stump becomes a memorial

What started as a few cards and a pen left at the base of the stump grew into something bigger. By Sept. 7, a pile of paper and a cup of thumbtacks sat at the base, inviting anyone to leave a message, WUSA9 reported.

One sign thumbtacked to the bark read simply: "DO NOT REMOVE NPS."

Others were gentler. "Goodbye and goodnight sweet tree. You will be missed," read one note signed by a self-described "Random Park Goer," according to WUSA9's Sept. 7 coverage. Many thanked the tree for years of shade.

Ryan Mutombo, son of basketball Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo, told DC News Now on Sept. 4 that the tree held a personal connection. "This was always one of my favorite trees in the city," Mutombo said. He said he had been visiting it since arriving at Georgetown in 2021.

The fallen tree also drew crowds who climbed on the remains and took pictures, DC News Now reported.

Federal land, federal call

Dupont Circle park sits on federal land administered by the National Park Service, not the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation. That means the NPS, not the city, controls when the trunk comes down and what goes in its place.

The agency told El Tiempo Latino that cleanup will proceed as resources and scheduling allow, with crews still addressing storm damage at other sites across the city. The Sept. 3–4 storm knocked down more than 300 trees across Washington, according to Mayor Muriel Bowser, who said on Sept. 4 that crews were working citywide to clear roads.

A dark spot on the fallen portion of the tree fueled speculation that lightning struck it, though no official cause has been determined.

The NPS has not set a date for the replacement planting or said what species the new tree will be. Removal of the trunk will reopen the park's north entrance for the first time since the Sept. 4 storm.