Central Park North - A Walking Photo Tour of Common Park Trees

By Steve Nix, About.com Guide

Around 90th Street, near the mid-western bank of The Reservoir and just north of a grove of kwanzan cherries is this Norway maple. It and many other Norway maples in Central Park reminds me of problems with introduced tree species.

The Norway maple was first introduced to North America from Europe by botanist John Bartram in 1776. He established the tree by selling seeds and seedlings throughout the Northeast. Norway maple was planted by the thousands in the 1930's as a replacement for American elms killed by Dutch elm disease. It has become one of the most common but, unfortunately, most invasive trees that disrupts native forest regeneration. The tree grows to 70 feet and can be 50 feet wide.

Read more about: Norway Maple at Statue of Liberty
Read more about: Norway Maple as an Invasive Species