#2454 "Singleton Sugar Maple"

I guided the wildlife trail through the forest of the Singleton Sanctuary to pass by this magnificent sugar maple tree. This maple has a circumference of 135 inches (11.25 feet) at 36 inches above the ground. Simple math gives the diameter of this tree of about 43 inches. The Comfort Sugar Maple tree has a 20 foot circumference at the base which is larger than the 11.25 feet circumference of the Singleton Maple which I measured a bit higher. The Comfort Sugar Maple near North Pelham, Niagara Region, was a sprout when Columbus navigated to the New World in 1492. The Singleton Sugar Maple was likely at least a good sized tree for the War of 1812. Size is not always related to age though. There are cedars on the Niagara Escarpment that are 2000 year old (at least 1890 years old in 2014) and they have circumferences that measure in just a few inches or less. Life like art, is not a competition and I am just happy that both old trees are still alive. 

A large limb had fallen down and was laying on the ground. That limb might have been a victim of the January 1998 ice storm. Smaller limbs had also fallen and were lying around the large tree. All of this wood will eventually become nutrients for the soil. Smaller maple saplings were everywhere but they were struggling to get enough sunlight through the overcast forest canopy. 

Something large fell to the ground as I painted. There goes the saying wondering if a tree falling in the forest makes any sound. The answer is a certain and resounding "yes". "If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?" is a philosophical thought experiment that raises questions regarding observation and perception. 

The ravens were having quite an animated an long conversation which I eavesdropped on. The chickadees and blue jays were also busy. The forest was not a quite place. 

I used my tractor to lift and transport my portable "Art Studio on a Pallet". I would revisit this huge sugar maple in #2471 "Pioneer Sugar Maple". 

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