Thinning or release cutting will substantially shorten the age-to-tapable-size. Sugar maple, (Acer saccharum), also called hard maple or rock maple, large tree in the soapberry family (Sapindaceae), native to eastern North America and widely grown as an ornamental and shade tree. Table 3-2 contains a descriptive comparison and Figures 3.2 through 3.5 illustrate characteristic leaves, bark, twigs, and fruits of sugar, black, red and silver maple. Bigleaf maple typically has a pinkish cast to it. While the exact sap sugar content of a tree will vary depending on many factors including genetics, site and weather, sugar and black maples generally average between 2.0 and 2.5 percent sap sugar content. Red maple is one of the most abundant and widespread hardwood trees in North America (Figure 3.8). The fruits are paired samaras. On good sites with little competition from other trees, silver maple diameter growth may approach 1/2 inch per year (rates as high as 1 inch per year have been recorded). Flower: Light yellow-green, small, clustered, hanging from a long, slender (1 to 3 inch) stem, appearing with or slightly before the leaves in early spring. Sugar maple or Acer saccharum. East to the Appalachian Mountains. Scientific Name:  Acer saccharum Similar to sugar maple but usually 3-lobed (sometimes five); often appears to be drooping; often with a thicker leaf and lear stem (petiole) than sugar maple; usually with two winglike or leaflike growths at the base of the petiole (stipules). Sugar Maple Tree Identification Sugar maple trees can grow to be 100 feet tall. Identifying a tree as a sugar or black maple (Table 3.2, Figure 3.2 & 3.3) is easily done from the leaves by observing 5-lobed leaves, the paired opposite attachment of the leaves along the stem and the lack of teeth along the leaf margin; from the bark of older trees by observing the long plates that remain attached on one side; from the twigs by observing the opposite arrangement of buds and the relatively long, pointed, brownish terminal bud; and from the seed by observing its horseshoe shape and size. Third, like red maple, the evaporation of sap from some silver maples produces an excessive amount of sugar sand. Both species have been planted extensively as roadside trees which are often tapped as part of a sugaring operation. Naturalists lead maple-sugaring tours showing how to identify sugar maples, tap trees, and collect sap at this Mass Audubon property. Sugar maple occurs naturally throughout most of the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada (Figure 3.6). Birches have pores wider than the rays. While most of these species are probably tapped to some extent, at least by hobbyists, sugar and black maple, along with red maple (Acer rubrum), provide most of the commercial sap. This is a blog about tree branches: what they look like, how they develop, how they differ between species, and how you can use them to identify trees in winter. Black and sugar maples begin growth later in the spring than red or silver maple. Other things being equal, higher sap sugar content translates to lower costs of production and greater profits. In the fall, sugar maple leaves will lose their green color and take on a beautiful orange, yellow, or red. To do this, begin by counting lobes of leaves. It is most easily identified by the opposite paired arrangement of its leaves and branches, its 3-lobed leaf with fine teeth on the margin, and striping on the branches and young trunks. The leaves of the Sugar Maple usually have five squarish, shallow lobes. The sugar maple (Acer saccharum) is a common tree in northeastern North America, prized for its wood, its brilliant fall foliage and its sap for maple syrup in the spring. Once you have established you tree is part of the Acer family, you need … Compared to sugar and black maple, red maple is a relatively short-lived tree, rarely living longer than 150 years. Sugar and black maple are particularly attractive as sugar trees because of their high sap sugar content and the late date at which they begin growth in the spring. A fourth maple species, silver maple (Acer saccharinum), is sometimes tapped, particularly in roadside operations, and is often confused with red maple. Sugar maple Leaf: 3 to 6" opposite, simple leaf with 3 to 5 lobes; excellent fall color - yellow, orange and red tones. Similar to sugar maple with, perhaps, a slightly larger seed. The sugar maple (Acer saccharum) is a common tree in northeastern North America, prized for its wood, its brilliant fall foliage and its sap for maple syrup in the spring.Like the white ash, the sugar maple is … Mature leaves have a whitish appearingunderside. 5-7 inches wide; deeply clefted; 5-lobed with the sides of the terminal lobe diverging toward the tip; light green upper surface and a silvery white underside; leaf margin with fine teeth (but not the inner edges of the sinuses). Norway Maple is frequent in urban areas where it is planted as a street tree or invasive in vacant lots. Similar to red maple but bruised or scraped bark has a very fetid or foul odor. If you are thinking of planting sugar maple trees, you probably already know that sugar maple are among the best-loved trees on the continent. Plantations of sugar maple have also been established with the intent of developing efficient, productive sugar bushes. Slender, shiny, usually reddish in color; terminal buds. That really does not mean much because most of the hard boiling is driving off water the more concentrated the syrup is. Both species are relatively long lived, capable of living well beyond 200 years, with trunk diameters greater than 30 inches and heights greater than 100 feet. First, the sap sugar content of red maple will be less, on the average, than that of nearby comparable sugar or black maples, perhaps by 1/2 percent or more. Sugar and black maple both grow in the shade of other trees (they are shade tolerant), and trees of many different ages (sizes) are often found in a forest. Winged seed approximately 1" long. The real difference is that the Red Maple has lighter and smoother bark then the Sugar Maple. Uses: Veneer, lumber, furniture, cabinets, flooring, pulp General Natural Range: Minnesota south to Arkansas. Pests include borers and cottony maple scale. It is important to emphasize that good, high-quality maple syrup can be made from red maple sap. Also, all four produce a fruit called a samara (or double samara), which is a pair of connected, winged seeds. This lower sap sugar content translates to higher costs of production and lower profits. Based on the results of a study in a New Jersey natural area, there is concern that in forests managed for native vegetation, Norway Maple will reproduce more vigorously than the native Sugar Maple, and therefore, may out compete Sugar Maple … Narrow, scaly ridges: Norway maple, box elder and red maple share this feature. It is not unusual to find many trees in a sugar bush well in excess of 3 percent, and occasionally higher. Sugar Maples can be identified based on the following characteristics: at the location and the soil should be sandy to loamy. It has a dense crown of leaves, which turn various shades of gold to scarlet in fall.Its three- to five-lobed leaves appear after the greenish yellow flowers of spring. The 3 most popular type of maple trees are Maple Sugar, Red maple and Japanese Maple. Striped maple (Acer pensylvanicum) and mountain maple (Acer spicatum) are two other native maples that are found growing within the commercial maple range (Figures 3.10 and 3.11). Common North American Maple Species . Sugar and black maples are found on a variety of soils and site conditions, but neither tolerates excessively wet or dry sites, and both grow best on moist, deep, well-drained soils. Nevertheless, large silver maple street trees are numerous in many areas and these are sometimes tapped as part of a sugaring operation. North through all of New England, southern Quebec and Ontario, and the Canadian Maritimes. Unfortunately, the names of the two trees quickly became confused in the horticultural literature. The leaf edge will not have any serrated teeth. Also known as rock maple, sugar maple (Acer saccharum) is a deciduous tree well known for its ability to produce sap from which maple syrup is derived. The two most common maples are the sugar maple (Acer saccharum) and the red maple (Acer rubrum). Older trees developing furrows and ultimately long, irregular, thick vertical plates that appear to peal from the trunk in a vertical direction. Uses: Veneer, lumber, furniture, cabinets, flooring, pulp Species. Sugar Maple Tree. This week’s tree is easy to identify by its twig. Neither of these species is commonly tapped. Bigleaf or Acer macrophyllum. Its use as an ornamental and street tree, at least in urban areas, has been discontinued in recent years because the wood of silver maple is very brittle and often breaks in severe wind, snow or ice storms. Trees planted by colonial settlers survive to this day, often with large, gnarly trunks and deeply fissured bark. The sugar content is 2x that of other maple trees in sugar maples which means less boiling down. Sugar and black maple are very similar species and unquestionably the most preferred species for producing maple products, primarily because of their high sugar content. Like the red maple, silver maple is a relatively short-lived tree when compared to the sugar or black maple, living perhaps. Like the white ash, the sugar maple is one of the few trees with opposite leaf buds. Canada; The sugar maple tree may grow to a height of 40 metres (130 feet). Because of the wide variety of sites on which red maple will grow, it is found growing naturally in pure stands and with an enormous variety of other tree species ranging from gray birch and paper birch, to yellow poplar and black cherry, and including sugar and black maple. North through all of New … Red Maple ( Acer rubrum) Buds conspicuous, plump, rounded, and red; side buds as large as terminal buds, and angled outward. Sugar and black maple have the highest sap sugar content of any of the native maples. One either taps red maple or they don't sugar. One exotic maple, Norway maple (Acer platanoides), is commonly planted as an ornamental and street tree and will attain tapable size. Acer saccharum identification sugar maple tree branches Woody plants Jerry Jenkins, White Creek, N.Y. Because of its fast growth rate, however, mature trees can achieve diameters in excess of 3 feet and heights in excess of 100 feet. Best Characteristics for Identification: Rays wider than pores. The space between the five pointed lobes of sugar maple leaves is U-shaped with a rounded base. Maple sugar, red maple have typically 5 lobes and Japanese maple between 5 to 7 lobes. In other areas, red maple may be tapped along with sugar and black maples. The presence of the Sugar Maple leaf on the Canadian flag illustrates the importance of this tree in Canada. Learn how to identify sugar maple trees to make maple syrup. Acer saccharum identification sugar maple tree branches Woody plants Jerry Jenkins, White Creek, N.Y. If these species occur in a sugarbush it is important to be able to identify them. Young trees up to 4-8 inches with a smooth light gray bark, developing into gray or black ridges and ultimately narrow scaly plates. Does not do well in a restricted root zone situation; tolerates shade better than most maples; leaf scorch may develop with drought; moderate pollution … However, for sugaring, red maple does have three important weaknesses. When compared to sugar, black and red maple, silver maple is a distinctly fourth choice for sugaring for several reasons. General Natural Range: Minnesota south to Arkansas. The sugar maple (Acer saccharum) (hard maple, rock maple) is one of our largest and finest forest trees, growing to a height of 80 feet with a diameter of two or more feet. Like sugar and black maple, red maple is shade tolerant and is found in both even-aged and uneven-aged forests. It is recognized by the opposite paired arrangements of its leaves and branches, its 7lobed leaf without marginal teeth, and its 11/2 to 2 inch long samara with divergent wings (Figure 3.12). https://www.mortonarb.org/trees-plants/tree-plant-descriptions/ Maple trees are usually grown in gardens as landscaping plants, owing to their beauty and their extensive branching system. Maple Tree Identification. Sugar Maples & Insect Problems. Considerable red is seen in bark pattern as scales develop. It is most easily identified by the opposite paired arrangement of its leaves and branches and its 3lobed leaf with coarse teeth. The leaves are bright green and the underside is light green. North through all of New England, southern Quebec and Ontario, and the Canadian Maritimes. margin. The sap of Norway maple is not commonly used to produce maple syrup. Silver maple's growth rate often responds dramatically to thinning or release cutting. This is a blog about tree branches: what they look like, how they develop, how they differ between species, and how you can use them to identify trees in winter. Sugar maple is an emblematic and common tree of the New England landscape, widely planted along roadsides and sugar bushes in order to harvest its maple syrup. This is the geographic area of greatest abundance of sugar maple ( Acer saccharum) and black maple ( Acer nigrum ), … Thinning or release cutting dramatically reduces this age-to-tapable-size. Secondly, red maple begins growth in the spring before sugar and black maples, resulting in a shorter collecting season. … Wide, irregular strips: The sugar maple has dark grayish-brown bark with wide, vertical strips that curl outward at the edges. Flower/Fruit: Small greenish yellow flowers in early spring. Sugar maple leaves will have a dark green color on the outside, and a lighter green on the underside. Identifying a tree as a red maple (Table 3.2, Figure 3.4) is done from the leaves by observing the 3 lobes (occasionally 5), the paired opposite arrangement of the leaves and the small teeth along the margin; from the bark of older trees by the presence of the scaly plates; from the twig by observing the paired opposite arrangement of the buds, the relatively short, blunt, rounded, red terminal bud and the lack of an offensive odor when the bark of the twig is bruised or scraped; and from the fruit by observing its severe V-shape and size. Silvery gray on young trees breaking into long thin scaly plates that give the trunks of older trees a very shaggy appearance. Facts About Sugar Maple Trees. Sugar Maple ( Acer saccharum) Lobes pointed, but leaf margins smooth (not serrated) between points, with U-shaped regions in larger spaces between lobe tips. 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