The Sugar Maple is a deciduous tree that grows to a mature height of
70-90 feet. It can reach 100 feet if the growing conditions are optimal (1). Trees that grow in the open form crowns that spread up to 80 feet.  Sugar Maples that grow in forests have long, straight trunks and narrow crowns (1). The twigs are slender, reddish-brown and shiny with numerous lenticels (1). The buds are narrow and pointed (1). The leaves are opposite, simple, 3-5 lobed, and 3-5 inches long and wide (2).  Leaves are dark green on the surface and paler on the underside. The leaf margins of the lobes are smooth with rounded clefts between lobes (2). The Sugar Maple is monoecious - it has male and female flowers on the same tree. The paired, winged fruit (a double samara) is horseshoe-shaped and matures in September or October (1). Of the double samara typically only one seed is viable (1). With age the gray
bark develops fissures which are vertical grooves and ridges (1). The
roots reach deep into the soil and branch widely. They continue to grow into fall and winter if the ground is not frozen (1). The Sugar Maple has a brilliant fall color that often includes a sequence of different warm colors.

Acer saccharum leaf  photo © 2001 brigit moyer

Sugar maple grows from Nova Scotia and Quebec in the North, to Ontario in the West, to Manitoba in the Southeast, and southward through Minnesota to southern Missouri and East to Tennessee and northern Georgia (1).  The Sugar Maple is most prolific in New England, New York, the Great Lakes states, Ohio and Pennsylvania (1).  In New York the trees grow at elevations up to 2,500 feet, primarily on warm, upper slopes. In southern Appalachia the Sugar Maples grow primarily on cooler, northern ridges at an elevation of about 3,000 to 5,000 feet (1).

Climate

Sugar Maples grow in a climate with average January temperatures from 0 to 50° F and average July temperatures from 60 to 80° F (1). Annual rainfall averages from 20 to 50 inches of rain and from 1 to 150 inches of snow (1).  The average growing season ranges from 80 to 260 days (1). 

Acer saccharum and  Acer rubrum leaves photo © 2001 brigit moyer	Acer saccharum trunk photo © 2001 brigit moyer

Soils 

Sugar Maples grow in many soil types, but for maximum growth they require fertile, fine-textured, well drained soil and ample moisture (1). They grow poorly in swampy, wet soil, compacted soil and sandy or thin, rocky soils (1).  The soil pH can be between 3.7 (very acidic) to 7.3 (slightly alkaline), but should ideally be between 5.5 and 7.3 (1).

Diseases and Insects 

The Sugar Maple is susceptible foliage and trunk diseases like anthracnose (Gloeosporium apocryptum ) and tar spot (Rhytisma acerinum) (1). Anthracnose causes brown or black dead areas on leaves and tar spot forms large black, thickened leaf spots (1). Diseases of the trunk include cankers and galls (1). A heavy gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar) infestation can defoliate a tree and weaken the three sufficiently to cause significant damage (1). 

Problems 

Top shoot browsed off  photo © 2001 brigit moyer

The Sugar Maple is very susceptible to road salt injury. Salt is absorbed by the roots and distributes throughout the tree (1). During dry summers, when the soil is dry, the salt concentration in the tree increases and causes twigs and leaves to die (1).

Regeneration 

Sugar maple trees seldom flower until the age of 30, with massive seed production in cycles of 2-5 years (1).  Natural regeneration through seedlings and sprouting is generally adequate to maintain healthy Sugar Maple stands (1).  Heavy browsing by white-tailed deer can become a serious problem, leaving seedlings deformed and stunted (1). The browsed off shoots of seedlings can result in multi-trunked trees. 

Optimal Growing Conditions

Sugar Maple trees require fertile, well drained soil and ample moisture. They prefer full sun or partial shade, and perform poorly in compacted soil with limited root space.

Economic Importance

The Sugar Maple is an important forest tree for its timber. The wood is hard and fine-grained and is used for veneer, flooring, furniture and high quality fuel wood (2). The tree is also the principal source of maple sugar. The trees are tapped early in the spring for the first flow of sap, which is collected and boiled to a syrup. 

Ethnobotanical and Cultural Information

North America is the only part of the world in which Sugar Maple trees grow.  The trees have been important in the lives of Native Americans and early settlers.  The Native Americans were among the first to tap the trees for their syrup, a skill which was observed by the early European settlers (1).  The trees were valued by both groups as an important source of timber.  The wood was also used by the early settlers for fuel wood and household items - rolling pins, cheese presses, scoops and apple grinders (1).  

Interesting sites

Index of species information

Trees and shrubs of the campus of Iowa State University

Sugar Maple

The of Maple Syrup

The History of Maple Syrup in America

Bibliography

1. Lassoie P, Luzadis V, Grover D. 1996. Forest trees of the Northeast. Cornell Cooperative Extension, Information Bulletin 235. Ithaca NY: Media Services at Cornell University.

2. Cope J, Winch, F. (no year). Know your trees. Ithaca NY: Media Services at Cornell University. 

3. Little, E. 1980. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf.

4. Sutton A, Sutton M. 1988. The Audubon Society nature guides: Eastern Forests. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf.

  Nazareth College of Rochester        

  Page last edited: 12/04/2003