Building a visitors center at the U.S. Capitol means moving the 40-foot offspring of the Annapolis Liberty Tree. Its chance of survival is slim.
Doctors urge the public to be cautious as potentially fatal melanoma cases increase.
Planted as a scrawny seedling on the U.S. Capitol grounds more than two decades ago to mark the nation's 200th birthday, the tulip poplar now soars nearly 40 feet high, measures almost 20 inches across its trunk and will soon blossom into its signature blooms. But the tree's robust growth could spell its doom. Because it's so big, the tulip poplar's chances of surviving a costly attempt to replant it are slim. It's a waste of taxpayers' money. Planners wrestling with the fate of 84 trees in the bulldozers' path only recently decided to include the Liberty seedling among the 17 they will try to transplant.