(The Hill) – A new sapling is putting down roots at the White House, following the removal of a historic tree named for former President Andrew Jackson.
President Trump helped mark the planting of the new tree on Tuesday near the South Portico of the White House.
The newest greenery added to the White House grounds came the day after one of the southern magnolia trees, which was said to have been planted by Jackson in the 19th century, was removed due to “serious safety concerns.”
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The “careful decision” to remove the historic tree, a White House spokesperson said in a statement, followed an assessment by a master arborist.
The arborist’s report found that the Jackson-era tree had “surpassed the time of serving as an aesthetic and historic landmark due to the potential harm it may cause because of the risk of structural failure.”
Workers remove a magnolia tree believed to have been planted by former US President Andrew Jackson nearly 200 years ago due to safety concerns, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, on April 7, 2025. An enormous tree known as the Jackson Magnolia which has shaded the White House’s South Portico for the majority of US presidencies will be taken down this week, Donald Trump said Sunday. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP) (Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)A worker cuts down a southern magnolia tree, said to have been planted by former President Andrew Jackson in honor of his late wife, on the South Lawn of the White House on April 07, 2025 in Washington, DC. The historic tree, planted almost two centuries ago, has been determined to be in a dangerous condition and is being removed for safety reasons. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)A worker helps remove a southern magnolia tree, said to have been planted by former President Andrew Jackson in honor of his late wife, on the South Lawn of the White House on April 07, 2025 in Washington, DC. The historic tree, planted almost two centuries ago, has been determined to be in a dangerous condition and is being removed for safety reasons. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)A worker helps remove a southern magnolia tree, said to have been planted by former President Andrew Jackson in honor of his late wife, on the South Lawn of the White House on April 07, 2025 in Washington, DC. The historic tree, planted almost two centuries ago, has been determined to be in a dangerous condition and is being removed for safety reasons. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)A worker helps remove a southern magnolia tree, said to have been planted by former President Andrew Jackson in honor of his late wife, on the South Lawn of the White House on April 07, 2025 in Washington, DC. The historic tree, planted almost two centuries ago, has been determined to be in a dangerous condition and is being removed for safety reasons. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)Workers remove a magnolia tree believed to have been planted by former President Andrew Jackson, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Monday, April 7, 2025. (Pool via AP)WASHINGTON, DC – APRIL 06: White House press photographers photograph a magnolia tree on White House grounds on April 06, 2025 in Washington, DC. The tree is said to have been planted by President Andrew Jackson about 200 years ago and will be removed from the White House grounds over safety concerns. In a Sunday post on Truth Social, President Donald Trump said that the roughly 2-century-year-old tree will be removed because of its advanced deterioration. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
The new sapling planted this week is a “direct descendant” of the original magnolia tree, according to the White House. The 12-year-old tree was grown at the National Park Service Greenhouse “in preparation for the removal of its parent.”
The National Park Service, which manages the White House grounds, said the new magnolia sapling “will continue the tradition of honoring this tree’s history while investing in the future.”
The removed tree is unlikely to face a wood chipper future: The Park Service said it is working with the White House executive residence to “ensure the preservation of the salvageable remnants of the ‘Jackson Magnolia.'”
