Sugar Maple State Tree of New York, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wisconsin

The state tree of New York, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wisconsin is the Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum). Sugar maple is also called rock maple and hard maple. This US native tree is found growing in the wild throughout the country with the exception of the southern and western coastlines.

Sugar maple grows to a mature height of 120 feet with a 3 foot diameter. The crown spread can range from 35 to 50 feet in a somewhat symmetrical oval shape. These trees are very long lived and specimens have been dated to 400 years old.

Sugar maple prefers a sunny location with a rich, well-drained soil, but will tolerate a variety of soil structures with a pH ranging from very acidic (3.7) to alkaline (7.3). Sugar maples are hardy in Zones 3 through 8A. They are susceptible to drought and extended periods of very high heat. Trees can be damaged or killed if the soil becomes compacted, if the roots become buried by added soil or mulch, or if the ground remains wet.

If there is a sugar maple in the neighborhood, it is obvious that seeds sprout readily. These seedlings are viable and tolerate shade quite well. Weed trees are found in hedge rows, beneath evergreen shrubs, and in border gardens. They should be dug out before the roots become to deeply set. Sugar maples can grow at the rate of 1 foot per year.

The root system is both deep and widely lateral. Sugar maples can be either monoecious or dioecious. Up to 14 greenish-yellow flowers appear in racemes from March to June. The fruit sets anywhere from June to October and is winged samara that are carried by the wind and then fall to the ground.

Sugar maple is a popular landscape tree in residential, park, and roadside settings. It is a good choice for a shade tree with green leaves measuring 4 to 8 inches long and 2 to 4 inches wide. The trees have ornamental value in the fall when the leaves turn shades of yellow, orange, and red. Because sugar maple is not tolerant of road salt, it is best used as a street tree in climates with mild winters. The lateral root system can be shallow and cause a problem in some areas. The wood is heavy and branches will start to droop as they become longer and the tree ages. Pruning may be necessary to keep walkways passable.

Sugar maple is commercially valuable. The wood is durable and strong making it popular for furniture, paneling, flooring, tool handles, musical instruments, and veneers.

Another asset of sugar maple is the sap that is used to make maple sugar and maple syrup. It takes 40 gallons of sap to produce 1 gallon of syrup. The maple syrup industry sees annual sales of more than $100 million.

Sugar maples are 30 years old before they bear seeds. There are normal fluctuations in year to year seed production. The cycle can be one to four years, two to five years, or three to seen years, depending on the part of the country.

The sugar maple is a food source in the wild. The new shoots and leaves are eaten by deer, moose, and rabbits. The seeds, buds, and twigs are eaten by squirrels. The bark is eaten by porcupines.

The sugar maple provides cover and nesting sites for chickadees, flickers, and pileated woodpeckers. The screech owl is also known to build nests in sugar maples.

Sugar maple has predators. Trees do not tolerate road salts or strong winds. Sugar maple is susceptible to bud miners, aphids, borers, gypsy moth, tent caterpillar, linen looper, and canker. Some trees suffer root rot and wilt. There is a disease known as maple decline that is killing off sugar maples in the Northeastern US. Some people think maple decline is attributable to higher levels of acid rain.

Sugar maple is propagated by seeds, budding, or cuttings. There are many cultivars on the market including: 'Bonfire', 'Endowment Columnar', 'Globosum', 'Goldspire', 'Green Mountain', 'Majesty', 'Newton Sentry', 'Sweet Shadow', 'Commemoration', and 'Legacy'.

Sources
Acer saccharum, US Forest Service, http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/tree/acesac/all.html
Acer saccharum, University of Florida, http://hort.ufl.edu/trees/ACESACD.pdf
Acer saccharum, Ohio State University, http://www.hcs.ohio-state.edu/hcs/TMI/Plantlist/ac_harum.html