Old maples and big elms, here and there

At the Wheeler family sugar bush in Lanark County,  I recently photographed this sugar maple and the sign that honours it.

I am always thrilled to see examples of people acknowledging the value of mature trees. What surprised me about this maple is that its girth is not particularly big. Yet, at age 210, it’s twice as old as the oldest human being alive on this planet. And it will keep on giving its sap to the maple producers for another 40 years!

In another case of happiness being generated,  I learned today that a neighbourhood in Vancouver values and honours mature elm trees. Here in eastern Canada, elms died off decades ago in most urban environments.

The people on East Sixth Ave., Vancouver, have created a beautiful website [link no longer active] that makes it clear how much the children and adults of the community love the giant trees around them.

If spring is a season of hope, I can take heart when I learn about and see these instances of respect for trees. We can coexist with trees. It’s in our genes to do so. --Debra Huron

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