Introduction
I researched Manitoba Maple for Project Day because Bronwen and I had worked with a Manitoba Maple log. What we were trying to do, was confusing and we didn’t know at all where we wanted to take it, but at least we were able to work with some tools, cutting away at the rotten wood, sanding, and staining it. I researched the tree we were working with to at least get something out of this project.
Manitoba Maple
Manitoba maple is the largest maple native to the Prairies, but it also grows in Southern Ontario and in the Northwest from Kenora to Thunder Bay. It is a fast-growing and short-lived tree that grows up to 10-25 meters. Manitoba Maple is found in lakeshores and stream banks, seasonally flooded sites, and disturbed sites. Winters can be very cold in North America, but the Manitoba Maple can survive under extreme conditions. Manitoba Maple is considered an unpopular tree, often described as “dirty” or “trashy”, because it sheds, often has multiples stems, has an irregular crown form, is prone to wind and ice damage, and is short-lived. It’s wood is described as unuseful and even considered invasive by some. Manitoba maple has compound leaves that resemble Ash leaves, with 3-9 toothed leaflets. They turn yellow or yellowish-green in the fall Young twigs have a waxy powder on them that can be rubbed off. Female trees produce many winged seeds each year, and it has become naturalized in many cities and towns across Ontario It’s seen as a weed, sometimes growing into gardens and seeming useless, but, let’s not dismiss this tree so fast.. With care and pruning in its early years, Manitoba Maple becomes a handsome, round-topped tree, and long-lived. It grows fastest in its first 20 years or so. it is able to withstand also not as prone to injury from wind and ice better than many other tree species.It creates good shade for the prairies. It tolerates cold, heat, flooding and drought. It is tough and resistant to the attacks of most insects and fungal pests. When plants are characterized as ‘useless’, ‘annoying’, ‘weed’, it’s because people aren’t able to understand its value and what it truly does. |
Sources
"Manitoba Maple." Government of Canada, Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Jan. 2017.
"Manitoba Maple." Move to FURL Service. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Jan. 2017.
McGarry, Kathryn. "Manitoba Maple." Ontario.ca. N.p., 18 July 2014. Web. Ontario.ca. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Jan. 2017.
"Manitoba Maple." Move to FURL Service. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Jan. 2017.
McGarry, Kathryn. "Manitoba Maple." Ontario.ca. N.p., 18 July 2014. Web. Ontario.ca. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Jan. 2017.