2024 Best Climbing Tree: Kojetin Park's Silver Maple Tree

Ayotte stands in front of the silver maple tree in Kojetin ParkGrowing up, Tim Ayotte didn’t have a lot of parks to go to. Luckily for him, he now lives in walking distance from Kojetin Park, one of the many parks in Edina. For several years, Ayotte and his wife frequented the park to take their dog on walks. Now, they often go with their young son.

“It’s a communal type of place for people to gather and enjoy,” said Ayotte. “The park has always been a central location. It’s a small neighborhood park where we’ve met kids and friends that’s quiet, open and fun.”

For Ayotte and his family, though, the best part about Kojetin park isn’t the playground, it’s the sprawling silver maple next to it.

“The tree is the first thing we see when we walk into the park,” said Ayotte. “I love how large and sprawling it is.”

Silver maples are a kind of ‘volunteer tree’­­ ­­­­-- trees that grow from seed on their own without being intentionally planted. Since they’re prolific seeders that can seed themselves, the City has never planted one.

Known for their fast growth, silver maples can grow as much as seven feet per year. On average, they live for 100-130 years, but can live even longer. Kojetin Park’s silver maple is on the older side, around 80-100 years old.

“The silver maple at Kojetin park provides a lot of shade for the playground, so it’s good for kids to play,” said Overholt.

Photo of the silver maple tree at Kojetin Park taken by Ayotte

Over the years, Ayotte and his son have spent lots of time on and around the silver maple tree. For Ayotte's son, the best part about the tree is that “it is good.” He loves to climb up the tree and sit on a nook between the branches. As his son has grown, Ayotte has gotten a lot of pictures of him in the tree, and the father-son duo have even taken a few selfies together along with the tree, too.

Sometimes Ayotte likes to photograph the tree from a different perspective. Laying in the grass, he’ll take pictures of the tree against the sky.

“It looks like a maze of branches and leaves,” said Ayotte.

Ayotte was on vacation when he heard about the Tree Recognition Campaign in 2024. He thought it was a cool campaign, so he decided to nominate a tree of his own and found no better tree than the silver maple at Kojetin Park.

“I just think it’s a really cool tree,” said Ayotte.

Do you know of a better climbing tree in Edina? If so, or if you have another a tree that deserves special recognition, you can nominate it for the 2025 Tree Recognition Campaign before Oct. 15 using the Tree Nomination Form.

“The Tree Recognition Campaign shows continuity within the community,” said Ayotte. “There’s something nice and fun about mature trees.”