Sugar Maple

#TeachingTuesday: Sugar Maple

 Acer saccharum, the sugar maple, is a large deciduous tree native to eastern and central North America. These are the same trees that produce maple syrup farther north, but unfortunately the weather isn’t cold enough in NC to produce enough sap flow for syrup. However, they make beautiful shade trees and have brilliant orange and red fall color.

Sugar maples do not tolerate compacted soil, high temperatures, air pollution, or road salt, so they are not a good choice for urban areas or street trees. They grow better in parks or more natural areas that are buffered from summer heat. Heat-tolerant cultivars should be planted in the Raleigh area, such as ‘Legacy’ or ‘Green Mountain’. All maple trees tend to have a high number of surface roots, which can damage walkways and septic systems, so it’s best to plant them far away from these features.

Maintenance-wise, sugar maples do not require a lot of care. Once a tree is mature, the only pruning needed is to remove broken or diseased limbs. Be careful when mowing beneath the trees to avoid scraping and injuring the surface roots, which sometimes grow inches above the soil surface. Watch for insect pests such as borers, which are a strong indicator that the tree is under stress, likely from heat or drought.  

ID Tips

• Leaves are arranged in opposite pairs along the stem.
• Each leaf has 5 lobes and coarsely toothed edges. They tend to be wider and shorter proportionally and have less serrated edges than red maple leaves.
• The fruit appear in the late spring and turn green in the summer, then dry out and turn brown in the fall.
• There are two fruit per stem, in the shape of a horseshoe, with each fruit having one wing. This type of fruit is called a samara.