- In front of 1365 King Street West
- Photo: © Liz Forsberg
It is easy to see why this once majestic silver maple (Acer saccharinum) is showing the signs of its imminent demise: sparse canopy, dead and broken branches, and small yellow leaves. Completely hemmed-in on all sides by a paved driveway, concrete sidewalk and asphalt street, no one has contemplated the needs of this tree. A healthy tree can have a root system that is 2 to 3 times the diameter of its leaf canopy. If the soil surrounding the tree gets compacted by hard surfaces and heavy vehicle traffic, the roots are unable to grow or take up oxygen and water which a tree cannot survive without. These impermeable surfaces stop rainwater from filtering slowly through the soil to nourish roots and replenish groundwater and instead, cause it to quickly run downhill carrying pollutants from cars and asphalt into sewers or directly into the lake.
Planted as a street tree long ago, this declining silver maple is the last of many that once lined King Street.
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