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56-614: In Minneapolis, Mississippi Gorge Regional Park is managed by the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board . In Saint Paul, the park area's official name is the Mississippi River Gorge Regional Park , and is managed by the Park and Recreation Department. The 132-acre (53 ha) park (acreage for Minneapolis parkland only) provides access to the river and is popular for its hiking and biking paths on

112-450: A circumference of 18 ft 3 in; 6 m, or an average diameter at breast height of about 5.8 feet (5 ft 10 in; 1.8 m). This tree had been 123 feet (37 m) tall with a crown spread of 86 feet (26 m), counting for a total number of 364 points. The sugar maple is the state tree of the US states of New York, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. It is depicted on

168-438: A closed canopy as an understory plant, and respond with rapid growth to the increased light formed by a gap in the canopy. Sugar maple can tolerate virtually any soil type short of pure sand, but does not tolerate xeric or swampy conditions. Sugar maples are deeper-rooted than most maples and engage in hydraulic lift , drawing water from lower soil layers and exuding that water into upper, drier soil layers. This not only benefits

224-457: A good buildup of humus . Light (or loose) clay soils are also well known to support sugar maple growth. Poorly drained areas are unsuitable, and the species is especially short-lived on flood-prone clay flats. Its salt tolerance is low and it is very sensitive to boron . The species is also subject to defoliation when there are dense populations of larvae of Lepidoptera species like the rosy maple moth ( Dryocampa rubicunda ). The Mohegan use

280-715: Is also not possible in the southern part of sugar maple's range as winter temperatures do not become cold enough. The minimum seed-bearing age of sugar maple is about 30 years. The tree is long-lived, typically 200 years and occasionally as much as 300. Sugar maple is native to areas with cooler climates and requires a hard freeze each winter for proper dormancy. In northern parts of its range, January temperatures average about −18 °C (0 °F) and July temperatures about 16 °C (61 °F); in southern parts, January temperatures average about 10 °C (50 °F) and July temperatures average almost 27 °C (81 °F). Seed germination also requires extremely low temperatures,

336-451: Is also the wood used for basketball courts , including the floors used by the NBA , and it is a popular wood for baseball bats , along with white ash . In recent years, because white ash has become threatened by emerald ash borer , sugar maple wood has increasingly displaced ash for baseball bat production. It is also widely used in the manufacture of musical instruments, such as the members of

392-515: Is an independent park district that owns, maintains, and programs activities in public parks in Minneapolis , Minnesota , United States. It has 500 full-time and 1,300 part-time employees and an $ 111 million operating and capital budget. The Minneapolis park system has been called the best-designed, best-financed, and best-maintained in America. Minneapolis was rated the #1 park system in

448-532: Is an independently elected, semi-autonomous park district responsible for governing, maintaining, and developing the Minneapolis park system. The jurisdiction of the park board is contiguous with the City of Minneapolis borders, although it owns four golf courses and its largest park, Theodore Wirth Park is outside the city limits. Minneapolis voters elect nine commissioners every four years: one from each of

504-582: Is below the Lake Street-Marshall Bridge for serious athletes and amateurs to paddle on the river. Canoes and kayaks can be launched as several locations in the gorge with routes from Hidden Falls and the rowing club boathouse most recommended. The locks and dams on opposite ends of the gorge have closed permanently to commercial and recreation traffic to block invasive carp species . Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board ( MPRB )

560-430: Is between 10 and 200 years old. The fruit is a pair of samaras (winged seeds). The seeds are globose, 7–10 mm ( 9 ⁄ 32 – 13 ⁄ 32  in) in diameter, the wing 2–3 cm ( 3 ⁄ 4 – 1 + 1 ⁄ 4  in) long. The seeds fall from the tree in autumn, where they must be exposed to 45 days of temperatures below 4 °C (39 °F) to break their coating down. Germination of A. saccharum

616-539: Is intolerant of road salt. Sugar Maples are commonly planted as a street tree in cities within the Mountain West region of the United States, usually a different cultivar such as the “Legacy” sugar maple. The shade and the shallow, fibrous roots may interfere with grass growing under the trees. Deep, well-drained loam is the best rooting medium, although sugar maples can grow well on sandy soil which has

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672-546: Is mostly found north of the 42nd parallel in USDA growing zones 3–5. It is less common in the southern part of its range (USDA Zone 6) where summers are hot and humid; there sugar maple is confined to ravines and moist flatlands. In the east, south of Maryland , it is limited to the Appalachians. In the west, Tennessee represents the southern limit of its range and Missouri its southwestern limit. Collection of sap for sugar

728-470: Is slow, not taking place until the following spring when the soil has warmed and all frost danger is past. It is closely related to the black maple , which is sometimes included in this species, but sometimes separated as Acer nigrum . The western sugar maple ( Acer grandidentatum ) and southern sugar maple (( Acer floridanum ) are also treated as a varieties or subspecies of northern sugar maple by some botanists. The sugar maple can be confused with

784-736: Is the city's largest employer of youth. The country's oldest public wildflower garden, the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden and Bird Sanctuary, is located within Theodore Wirth Park . Wirth Park extends into Golden Valley and is almost 90% the size of Central Park in New York City. Site of the 53-foot (16 m) Minnehaha Falls, Minnehaha Park is one of the city's oldest and most popular parks, receiving over 850,000 visitors each year. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow named Hiawatha's wife Minnehaha for

840-539: The COVID-19 pandemic . Acer saccharum Acer saccharum , the sugar maple , is a species of flowering plant in the soapberry and lychee family Sapindaceae . It is native to the hardwood forests of eastern Canada and the eastern United States. Sugar maple is best known for being the primary source of maple syrup and for its brightly colored fall foliage. It may also be called "rock maple," "sugar tree," "sweet maple," or, particularly in reference to

896-587: The Mississippi National River and Recreation Area regional parks and visitor centers. Among the board's youth work programs, Teen Teamworks has provided on-the-job training for green careers to ages 14 to 24, since 1986. In 2022, the program recruited 500 participants. Other youth programs are Recreation Plus and the Youthline Outreach Mentorship Program, founded in the 1980s and 1991. The board

952-529: The Norway maple , which is not native to America but is commonly planted in cities and suburbs, and they are not closely related within the genus. The sugar maple is most easily identified by clear sap in the leaf petiole (the Norway maple has white sap), brown, sharp-tipped buds (the Norway maple has blunt, green or reddish-purple buds), and shaggy bark on older trees (the Norway maple bark has small grooves). Also,

1008-658: The Seward neighborhood for off-leash dogs is adjacent to Riverside Park. Riverside Park - The 27.68-acre (11.20 ha) park on the bluff features structures constructed by the Works Progress Administration, a playground, and a wading pool. West River Parkway - The 7.24-mile (11.65 km) pedestrian and bike trail that runs along the west bluff of the Mississippi from Plymouth Avenue to Godfrey Parkway. Meeker Island Lock and Dam - Located at

1064-487: The Isles , and on Minnehaha Creek . Loring hired Horace Cleveland to create the original plan for Minneapolis parks in 1883, Cleveland's finest landscape architecture , preserving geographical landmarks and linking them with boulevards and parkways . Loring and Cleveland were instrumental in creating Minnehaha Park , with its falls as a centerpiece. Theodore Wirth was superintendent from 1906 to 1936 and managed

1120-534: The Minneapolis Police Department following the murder of George Floyd by a city police officer. The decision prohibited Minneapolis police officers from staffing park events and prohibited park police form assisting the Minneapolis Police Department. Nearly two years later, on May 4, 2022, the park board restored its relationship with the Minneapolis Police Department to allow the return of large events in parks that had been disrupted due to

1176-750: The Minneapolis waterfall in The Song of Hiawatha , a bestselling and often-parodied 19th century poem. The first natural swimming pool in the United States opened in Webber Park in 2015. The outdoor pool does not use any chemicals, rather it uses natural filters and plants in several container ponds to keep the water clean. The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board facilities include 6,804 acres (27.53 km ) of land and water, 179 properties, 102 miles (164 km) of biking and walking paths, 49 recreation centers, 22 lakes , 12 formal gardens, and seven golf courses. The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board

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1232-732: The Mississippi through the Twin Cities was designated by Minnesota Governor Wendell Anderson in 1972 as a critical natural resource area. In 1998, the United States Congress created the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area for the same corridor, bringing federal support and designation to the gorge area. The land area between the two bluffs is managed as public park land by the cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul. The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board , an independent park district, manages

1288-631: The University of Minnesota on the east bank of the Mississippi below the bluffs, it is the training site of the women's rowing team and contains grassy areas, picnic tables, and trails. East River Parkway - The 2-mile (3.2 km) pedestrian and bike trail that runs along the east bluff of the Mississippi from Washington Avenue to Emerald Street. Franklin Terrace Dog Park - The 1.37-acre (0.55 ha), fenced area off Franklin Terrace in

1344-614: The aftermath of the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. However, the Powderhorn situation became untenable after numerous sexual assaults, fights, and drug use reported at the encampment generated alarm for nearby residents, leading to the eviction of many people in tents. Four people died in encampments in city parks in 2020, including a 38-year-old man who was stabbed to death on January 3, 2021, at an encampment in Minnehaha Park. On November 18, 2020,

1400-594: The bluffs lend to a variety of colors with the changing fall leaves. The gorge provides habitat for at least 150 species of migratory birds and a growing population of bald eagles . Along both sides of the gorge, the East River and West River parkways of the Grand Rounds National Scenic Byway feature miles of paved, shared-used paths for walking and cycling that connect to a regional trail system. Adjoining natural surface paths from

1456-401: The bluffs. Among local residents, the gorge is known and appreciated for its semi-wild character in the middle of an urban metropolitan area. The two-city park areas had a combined 2.7 million visits in 2017. The Mississippi River gorge was formed over thousands of years by the retreating River Warren Falls that are known today as Saint Anthony . Softer sandstone gave way and slowly collapsed

1512-424: The board legalized female topfreedom in the parks. On July 2, 2024, MPRB employees announced a week-long strike, citing insufficient wage raises and hazard protections in recent contract negotiations. The strike began on July 4th, one of the city's busiest days for green spaces, with workers returning on July 26th following a new contract agreement. The park system's 6,084 acres (24.62 km ) make up 15% of

1568-470: The bright, crisp resonant tone it produces. If the grain is curly , with flame or quilt patterns, it is usually reserved for more expensive instruments. In high-end guitars this wood is sometimes Torrefied to cook out the Lignin resins, allowing the greater stability to climate & environmental changes, and to enhance its tonal characteristics as the instrument's resonance is more evenly distributed across

1624-417: The cellulose structure of the wood without the lignin. Sugar maple was a favorite street and park tree during the 19th century because it was easy to propagate and transplant, is fairly fast-growing, and has beautiful fall color. As noted above, however, it proved too delicate to continue in that role after the rise of automobile-induced pollution and was replaced by Norway maple and other hardier species. It

1680-491: The country for the sixth year in a row by The Trust for Public Land in 2018 and again in 2020. The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board was created by an act of the Minnesota State Legislature and a vote of Minneapolis residents in 1883. Charles M. Loring was elected the first president of the board. Loring convinced landowners to donate property around Bde Maka Ska , Lake Harriet and Lake of

1736-479: The ecologic health of the gorge. In the late 1990s, the National Park Service , Minneapolis park board, and Longfellow community council restored an oak savanna near East 36th Street, which allowed park visitors to experience what the gorge area looked like before European-American settlement. The regional parks in Minneapolis and Saint Paul contain several distinct historic sites and parks along

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1792-508: The expansion of Minneapolis parks from 1,810 to 5,241 acres (732 to 2,121 ha). Wirth was an advocate of active recreation in all city parks and put up signs saying "Please Walk on the Grass." Wirth also promoted neighborhood parks for the whole city, his plans called for a playground within one-quarter mile (400 m) of every child and a recreation center within one-half mile (800 m) of all residents, however Wirth never built them. In

1848-618: The floodplain forest, sandy beaches, and an oak savanna restoration project. Several limestone staircases constructed by the Works Progress Administration descend from the West River Parkway to the gorge floor. The river and gorge can also be explored via watercraft . The gorge is a segment of Mississippi River State Water Trail that passes through it. Chartered river cruise boats depart seasonally from Bohemian Flats. The Minneapolis Rowing Club boathouse

1904-471: The gorge. Bluff Street Park - There is an upper and lower portion of the 5.3-acre (2.1 ha) park in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood and a trail that connects downtown Minneapolis with Bridge Number 9 and the University of Minnesota. Bohemian Flats - The location of the historic Little Bohemia shanty town has picnic areas and river cruise boats. East River Flats Park - Located just below

1960-598: The ground's surface, and thus a diameter at breast height of about 1.88 metres (6 ft 2 in). At that time the tree was 34.1 metres (111 ft 11 in) tall with an average crown spread of 27.7 metres (90 ft 11 in). Using the scoring system of circumference in inches plus height in feet plus 25% of crown spread in feet resulted in a total number of 368 points at the National Register of Big Trees. A tree in Lyme, Connecticut , measured in 2012, had

2016-514: The harder limestone and shale layers in to the valley. The river valley in Minneapolis and Saint Paul is the only gorge along the entire 2,320-mile (3,730 km) length of the Mississippi River with bluffs rising as high as 150 feet (46 m). The river through the gorge was a series of rapids until the early 1900s when it was reconfigured for commercial navigation with installment of locks and dams. A 72-mile (116 km) corridor of

2072-466: The inner bark as a cough remedy, and the sap as a sweetening agent, and to make maple syrup following the introduction of metal cookware by Europeans. The United States national champion for Acer saccharum is located in Charlemont, Massachusetts . In 2007, the year it was submitted, it had a circumference of 5.92 metres (233 in; 19 ft 5 in) at 1.3 metres (4 ft 3 in) above

2128-399: The leaf lobes of the sugar maple have a more triangular shape, in contrast to the squarish lobes of the Norway maple. The sugar maple is an extremely important species to the ecology of many forests in the northern United States and Canada. Pure stands are common, and it is a major component of the northern and Midwestern U.S. hardwood forests. Due to its need for cold winters, sugar maple

2184-456: The optimal being just slightly above freezing, and no other known tree species has this property. Germination of sugar maple seed in temperatures above 50 °F (10 °C) is rare to nonexistent. Acer saccharum is among the most shade tolerant of large deciduous trees. Its shade tolerance is exceeded only by the striped maple , a smaller tree. Like other maples, its shade tolerance is manifested in its ability to germinate and persist under

2240-508: The park area in Minneapolis, which is officially named Mississippi Gorge Regional Park and includes the 132 acres of land area flanking both the east and west banks of the Mississippi River, from just south of Bridge Number 9 to the north edge of Minnehaha Regional Park . In Saint Paul, the park area is officially named Mississippi River Gorge Regional Park, and is managed by the city's Park and Recreation Department. In recent years, communities and park agencies have formed partnerships to improve

2296-484: The park board. Led by a park police chief, the force consists of 30 sworn officers and 20 part-time park patrol agents. The park police is a separate entity from the Minneapolis Police Department , but the two forces have shared training, support services, and authority to police in both parks and throughout the city. The park board voted unanimously on June 3, 2020, to end its relationship with

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2352-608: The parkways provide pedestrian access to the river for sightseeing and fishing. In winter, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing are allowed on park trails. Mountain biking is prohibited on all natural surface trails in the gorge due to threats of erosion and potential damage to native plants. On the river's west bank in Minneapolis, hikers and trail runners can traverse the regional park via Winchell Trail , 2.5-mile (4.0 km) rustic path from Franklin Avenue to East 44th Street. The mostly natural-surface hiking trail provides access to

2408-454: The primary contributing factors to maple decline . Also, the increased use of salt over the last several decades on streets and roads for deicing purposes has decimated the sugar maple's role as a street tree. In some parts of New England, particularly near urbanized areas, the sugar maple is being displaced by the Norway maple . The Norway maple is also highly shade tolerant, but is considerably more tolerant of urban conditions, resulting in

2464-535: The river bottom below the bluffs, the historic dam site features hiking trails and an off leash dog park. The two-park gorge area is among the ten most visited sites annually in Minnesota. In 2017, Mississippi Gorge Regional Park in Minneapolis had 1,189,000 total visits, and Saint Paul's Mississippi Gorge Regional Park had 1,545,300 total visits. Mississippi Gorge Regional Park is popular for hiking, birdwatching, and photography. The abundance of sugar maples along

2520-487: The same time. They also share a tendency with red maples for certain parts of a mature tree to change color weeks ahead of or behind the remainder of the tree. The leaf buds are pointy and brown-colored. The recent year's growth twigs are green, and turn dark brown. The flowers are in panicles of five to ten together, yellow-green and without petals ; flowering occurs in early spring after 30–55 growing degree days . The sugar maple will generally begin flowering when it

2576-439: The sap is extracted from the trees using a tap placed into a hole drilled through the phloem, just inside the bark. The collected sap is then boiled. As the sap boils, the water evaporates and the syrup is left behind. Forty gallons of maple sap produces 1 gallon of syrup. In the southern part of their range, sugar maples produce little sap; syrup production is dependent on the tree growing in cooler climates. The samaras which are

2632-474: The seeds can be soaked, and—with their wings removed—boiled, seasoned, and roasted to make them edible. The young leaves and inner bark can be eaten raw or cooked. The sapwood can be white, and smaller logs may have a higher proportion of this desirable wood. Bowling alleys and bowling pins are both commonly manufactured from sugar maple. Trees with wavy wood grain , which can occur in curly, quilted, and " birdseye maple " forms, are especially valued. Maple

2688-603: The six park districts, and three that serve at-large. The district and at-large members are elected using ranked choice voting . The Board of Commissioners appoints the superintendent and sets policy for the park board. Minneapolis and Vancouver, Canada are the two largest cities in the US and Canada to have elected park boards. The Superintendent of the Parks has oversight of the Minneapolis Park Police Department —the law enforcement authority of

2744-496: The sugar maple's replacement in those areas. In addition, Norway maple produces much larger crops of seeds, allowing it to out-compete native species. The sugar maple is one of the most important Canadian trees , being, with the black maple , the major source of sap for making maple syrup . Other maple species can be used as a sap source for maple syrup, but some have lower sugar content and/or produce more cloudy syrup than these two. In maple syrup production from Acer saccharum ,

2800-464: The total area of Minneapolis, equal to the national median. The city's Chain of Lakes , consisting of seven lakes and Minnehaha Creek , is connected by bike, running, and walking paths and used for swimming, fishing, picnics, boating, and ice skating. A parkway for cars, a bikeway for riders, and a walkway for pedestrians runs parallel along the 52 miles (84 km) route of the Grand Rounds National Scenic Byway . Parks are also connected through

2856-513: The tree itself, but also many other plants growing around it. The mushroom Pholiota squarrosoides is known to decay the logs of the tree. Human influences have contributed to the decline of the sugar maple in many regions. Its role as a species of mature forests has led it to be replaced by more opportunistic species in areas where forests are cut over. The sugar maple also exhibits a greater susceptibility to pollution than other species of maple. Acid rain and soil acidification are some of

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2912-404: The upper lobes are larger and deeply notched. In contrast with the angular notching of the silver maple , however, the notches tend to be rounded at their interior. The fall color is often spectacular, ranging from bright yellow on some trees through orange to fluorescent red-orange on others. Sugar maples also have a tendency to color unevenly in fall. In some trees, all colors above can be seen at

2968-436: The violin family (sides and back), guitars (neck), grand pianos (rim), and drum shells. It is also often used in the manufacture of sporting goods. Canadian maple, often referred to as "Canadian hardrock maple", is prized for pool cues , especially the shafts. Some production-line cues will use lower-quality maple wood with cosmetic issues, such as "sugar marks", which are most often light brown discolorations caused by sap in

3024-624: The wood, "hard maple," " birds-eye maple ," or "curly maple," the last two being specially figured lumber. Acer saccharum is a deciduous tree normally reaching heights of 25–35 m (80–115 ft), and exceptionally up to 45 m (150 ft). A 10-year-old tree is typically about 5 m (20 ft) tall. As with most trees, forest-grown sugar maples form a much taller trunk and narrower canopy than open-growth ones. The leaves are deciduous, up to 20 cm (7.9 in) long and wide, palmate, with five lobes and borne in opposite pairs. The basal lobes are relatively small, while

3080-399: The wood. The best shaft wood has a very consistent grain, with no marks or discoloration. Sugar marks usually do not affect how the cue plays, but are not as high quality as those without it. The wood is also used in skateboards, gunstocks, and flooring for its strength. Canadian hardrock maple is also used in the manufacture of electric guitar necks due to its high torsional stability and

3136-584: Was from 1966 to 1978, during the tenure of superintendent Robert W. Ruhe , when the board built the city's neighborhood parks and recreation centers in underserved areas. In 2020, 98% of all residents lived within a 10-minute walk of a park, compared to the national median of 55%. In July 2020, the park board voted to allow encampments for people experiencing homelessness at up to 20 city parks with 25 tents each. The change in policy came after several hundred people took up residence in Powderhorn Park in

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