More than 500 trees to be cut down at DC golf course that Trump wants to redo

• The National Park Service will cut up to 529 trees at East Potomac Golf Course in Washington, D.C., as part of a landscape project linked to Donald Trump’s planned golf course overhaul.
• The Trump administration told a federal judge about the work because of a lawsuit from the DC Preservation League and court warnings over any destructive action at the site.
• Preservationists say the tree clearing is not routine maintenance and should trigger new public review under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act.

NEW YORK – The National Park Service will begin cutting down more than 500 trees on Oct 10 at a public golf course in Washington, D.C., that President Donald Trump is planning to replace with a “championship-level” course.

It planned to cull hundreds of the trees on the course as part of the clearing operation, Kevin Griess, superintendent of National Mall and Memorial Parks, said in a court filing on Oct 9. He said such work would take place whether or not Trump moved forward with his plan for an elite golf course at the site.