US judge halts tree-cutting at Trump's DC golf course project

WASHINGTON: A federal judge on Monday halted further tree-cutting at a public golf course in Washington after hundreds of trees were felled for President Donald Trump's pet project in the heart of the US capital.

An avid golfer who owns courses around the world, Trump has called for Washington's East Potomac Golf Links, a public course with affordable rates, to be remodelled into a facility capable of hosting major championship-calibre events.

"The Court ENJOINS defendants from removing or damaging additional trees on East Potomac Golf Course and ORDERS them to provide ten business days' written advance notice before making any irreparable modification to any forms or features of East Potomac Park, pending the outcome of this litigation," District Judge Ana Reyes wrote in Monday's 70-page order.

The early demolition work for the overhaul had proceeded despite an environmental group's lawsuit seeking to halt it.

"The Government felled hundreds of trees from the East Potomac Golf Course without real notice even though it knew of the scheduled removal at least a week prior," Reyes wrote, adding that they were "healthy, nonhazardous trees".

Earlier this month, Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that construction on the 18-hole course was set to start in November.

More than 500 trees have already been cut down, the judge wrote.

"The Court earlier stated, 'I am not the Lorax. I do not speak for the trees.' The court still does not speak for the trees. It speaks only for the rule of law," Reyes wrote, referring to the Dr Seuss book "The Lorax".

Local golfers have also spoken out against the remodelling of the beloved course, which has been in operation since 1920 and offers affordable access to a sport often seen as the preserve of the wealthy.