Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum) 

 

Interesting & key characteristics: 

 

Leaves: usually have 5-lobes which are 3-5 inches in width. Their leaves are vibrant shades of red and yellow in the fall, and are used in ornamental decorations.

Height: grow up to 75-100 feet tall, and 2-4 feet in diameter.

Uses: The wood is used in many construction things, such as flooring, furniture, and others

Sap: The massive sap flow within the sugar maple is made possible by their unique physiology. When temperatures rise above freezing in the spring, starches stored over winter in the tree's roots flow up to the branches through the sap wood to facilitate new growth.

 

Unique benefits (how it helps our planet):

The sugar maples have many benefits. Along with other species of maples, the sugar maple creates maple syrups. However, unlike their cousins, the sugar maple produces the highest concentration of sugar in its syrup, hence the name “Sugar Maple”. They also produce and reproduce via those fun, flying helicopter seeds that make for hours of fun for wide-eyed toddlers and kids.

 

Source: Trees of North America, Western Publishing Company Incorporated

 

The Story Behind the Tree:

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Planted in 2013, the sugar maple is about 8 years old (in 2021). The maple tree is beautiful in the fall, sporting many vivid colors which is one of the reasons why it was chosen. It was also a hardwood tree that grows relatively fast. The sugar maple, being an iconic tree, is the national tree of Canada as well as the state tree for four states: New York, West Virginia, Vermont and Wisconsin. This type of tree is most well-known for its sugary sap, though this particular tree is too small to tap.