In younger maturity this old maple tree, well over a metre across, was clearly an excellent climbing tree, even for the likes of humans, with many stout branches spreading wide. That’s how trees grow when the land around them is cleared. With a narrower crown still showing vigour above many of its no-longer-young offspring, this one is no longer so alone.
The county now calls this land community forest. A square kilometre of mostly swamp, with some former upslope fields planted with pines in lines, this portion sloping down to cedars is regenerating on its own as mixed deciduous forest. Late in spring, so verdant.
For more on wolf trees, see these articles:
https://northernwoodlands.org/articles/article/a-place-for-wolf-trees
https://www.americanforests.org/article/wolf-trees-elders-of-the-eastern-forest/
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