#2453 "January Sugar Maple Siblings"

These are two old and very special sugar maple trees. I had large limbs wired together to eliminate the risk of the trunks splitting. The sugar maple is one of the most common trees in the southern Ontario deciduous forest. The other common trees are the white oak, white birch, green ash and black walnut.. Sugar maple survive best in fertile, slightly acidic, moist soils in full sun. That description apples well to the location of these trees plus they are not stressed by salt or any other chemicals. We do not use any chemicals within the Singleton Sanctuary. Sugar maples typically survive 300 years with the oldest in Canada being the Comfort maple, at 500 years. 

These trees should last another couple of hundred years. The tree on the left measures 105 inches (almost 9 feet) in circumference at 3 feet above the ground. This circumference relates to a diameter of almost 3 feet. The tree on the right is a bit smaller and measures 97 inches (about 8 feet) in circumference at 3 feet above the ground. This circumference relates to a diameter of 2.6 feet. 

The sky was overcast with altostratus. There were a few snow flakes falling. The flakes were perfect stellar dendrites. I could easily see the branching six-sided shapes as they landed and stuck on the fresh oils before they melted away. The wind picked up and my bare hands proceeded to get very cold. There is nothing like wind chill to hurry me along as I paint en plein air. 

The Comfort Sugar Maple tree is 24.5 metres (80 ft) tall with a crown that is 38 metres (125 ft) in circumference. The trunk of the Comfort maple measured at 6 metres (20 ft) in circumference at the base. Due to the rigors of age as well as at least one major lightning strike, the tree has been repaired over the years with bricks, concrete, and guy wires. 

The conservation area is located at the end of a narrow lane off Metler Road. (Niagara Regional Rd. 28) near North Pelham. The Comfort Maple is surrounded by farm land. The Comfort Conservation Area is just 0.25 acres and has a small parking area. The Comfort Maple was designated a heritage tree in June 2000 under the Ontario Heritage Act (OHA). 

I painted these trees a few times including #1721 "Twin Maples". 

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