A Fall Message from our Executive Director, Deb Pella Keen

Driving tours are a great way to spend a fall day appreciating the landscape of Southern Ontario when it is ablaze in magnificent colour. 

Different types of Native Maples display varying colours of yellow, red, orange and burgundy colours in the fall. The colour of an individual tree can sometimes vary from year to year. Factors such as location, weather, and genetics also play a role in timing and color intensity. Colour is generally better when trees are healthy and not stressed by drought or pests. 

While it is difficult to predict when colours will peak, Ontario Parks has a nifty fall colour report that might help you plan your trip to various parts of the province: www.ontarioparks.com/fallcolour

For suggestions on driving tours, please check these following links and please be sure to post your photos to social media with the hashtag #mapleleavesforever :

• destinationontario.com/en-ca/articles/fall-colour-sightseeing-tours-ontario
• todoontario.com/ontario-fall-colours-road-trips-drives/

Speaking of fall driving tours, in 2022 Maple Leaves Forever launched a scavenger hunt to find the locations of 100+ year old Native Maple plantings along roadsides, laneways and property boundaries in Ontario. An essay about the History of Roadside Tree Planting in Ontario by Terry Schwan inspired us to catalogue their locations and share these for all to enjoy, and to encourage ongoing Native Maple planting for the future.

During your fall driving tours, if you find a roadside or laneway that is lined with heritage Native Maple trees (read more about “What is a Native Canadian maple” here), we invite you to fill out our online form so we can add it to our growing repository of locations.   

You can check out our map of heritage maple locations here!

Deb Pella Keen
On behalf of the MLF Team

Published as part of our Quarterly E-Newsletter. Sign up for MLF E-News and get them right in your Inbox!