400-year-old tree coming down in Ontario
A nearly 400-year-old sugar maple tree in Ontario, Wayne County, said to be the largest in the state, will come down soon after a massive branch fell during heavy rains.
The tree stands on the property of the Heritage Square Museum, run by the Town of Ontario Historical and Landmark Preservation Society, on Ontario Center Road. Arborists measured it and took samples years ago to determine the tree’s age, said Ann Welker, vice president of the historical society.
The tree was 79 feet tall and 18 feet in girth in 1996, and officially unseated another sugar maple in Chautauqua County at the time for the honor of being the state’s largest sugar maple tree. The sugar maple is New York's official state tree, designated in 1956.
“It has been such a landmark,” said Welker, adding that cables were installed in recent years to connect the branches together and keep the tree from falling apart.
But heavy rains this month brought a large branch down — the branches are as large as average tree trunks — and damaged another branch, leaving museum staff worried that more falling branches could take out a restored log cabin or parked cars on the property.
“It’s a terrible decision to have to make,” said Welker. “That tree is right there on the road, and everybody sees it when they drive by.”
The museum will leave about six feet of the tree trunk standing, and will keep the information plaque up next to the tree, she said. It will cost the museum about $1,500 to take the tree down, she said. Any donation toward the endeavor can be sent by check, made out to “Ontario Historical Society,” to P.O. Box 462, Ontario, NY 14519.