Silver Maple Brings Family Together

NLI’s Legacy Tree Program – October Tree of the Month

NLI’s Legacy Tree Program is pleased to recognize the October Tree of the Month is a Silver Maple that has been bringing the Kinsella family together for two decades. It’s also distinctive because of its age and size. The Silver Maple (Acer saccharinum) was nominated by Patrick and Lois Kinsella and measured by Howard Knodle, Natural Land Institute Board of Trustees and official University of Illinois Big Tree Inspector. The height is 87 feet, crown spread is 105.5 feet, and circumference is 205 inches (that’s 17 feet!).  NLI’s Legacy Tree Program continues to uncover large trees that outscore the current state champions! This silver maple grows in the front yard of the Kinsellas’ home (private property) west of Rockford on Auburn Road in Burritt Township.

Estimated to be more than 100 years old, this very special tree has been a hub for family activities since they moved to their seven acre farm in 2003. Lois Kinsella said they have hosted a couple of family reunions (with 90 offspring from her grandparents reunions are huge) and many family picnics that have centered around the very special maple. “It’s the favorite spot to line up the lawn chairs. I have nine grandchildren and they all like to climb it and hang out on the horizontal limb where the bird feeders and swing hang. They enjoy watching the birds and play with their imagination,” said Lois. The silver maple attracts all kinds of wildlife and Lois loves to watch the birds at the feeders and how they use the tree. During spring migration there is a lot of activity with Orioles, Indigo Buntings, Scarlet Tanagers and many other birds that visit. Robins make nests in the tree every year. Squirrels and chipmunks run in and around the tree. Lois shared that “this tree has been a great source of joy for me and my family.”

Silver Maple becomes the largest maple in the region and has very high wildlife value. It’s one of the first plants to bloom in spring (late February this past mild winter) but normally in late March. This first pollen and nectar can be an important source for bees, especially following a severe drought.  The flowers are either male or female, often on separate trees. Female flowers produce the winged seeds which rain down in early summer and are a feast for squirrels and chipmunks.

Silver Maples are called the “soft” maple as they grow extremely fast and their wood is lighter and less strong than Sugar or Black Maples. They have a reputation of being weak wooded but if pruned properly early so that the tree has good branching structure, they can become very large, wide-spreading trees like this one. Their main habitat locally is along our rivers and creeks as the seed germinates in bare soil soon after falling – also germinating in disturbed ground like flower beds or when caught in roof gutters!

Silver Maples have very high wildlife value from their flowers and fruits and good number of insects feed on their foliage (native maples in the top 5 tree groups) – important baby bird food, as well as a building block for the web of life. The tree, in its natural floodplain habitat, often show the scars of storms, and as the soft wood easily rots, the trees create important nesting and den cavities for wildlife. That’s a reason why if you have a silver maple in your landscape, make sure to prune it young so cuts can heal over fast to prevent internal rot. Its role in the landscape does not conform to our expectations but fills an important niche for nature.

Silver Maple is thriving in our modern atmosphere of increased CO2 and does sequester large amounts of carbon quickly with its fast growth, converting that carbon to wood. As the tree lives 125 years or so, it is not a long-term good solution to carbon sequestration but is certainly helping and has become much more abundant in recent times.

The tree is not recommended as a yard tree because of its water seeking roots that can clog sewer and water lines but if you have a healthy tree in good condition, it is worth protecting and caring for. Fall color is almost always a rich yellow and very late in the fall season and often in November. It produces a sweet sap but it takes much more sap to create maple syrup than the Sugar Maple.

Background and For More Information:

Natural Land Institute launched the Legacy Tree Program in January of this year. It includes recognition of one tree a month that may be the largest of its kind, or have historical or cultural significance. Anyone may nominate a tree on private or public land from NLI’s 12 county region. Other components of the program, a list of the 12 counties, the online nomination form, and the tree of the month since January can be found at: https://www.naturalland.org/nlis-legacy-tree-program-january/, call 815/964-6666 or email info@naturalland.org.