8/31/2023 0 Comments Sugar maple fall color![]() ![]() When will the leaves begin to change? Why did that tree turn first? Why are some leaves red while others are orange or yellow? Will the colors be more vibrant this year? They are also the focus of endless local forecasting and leaf lore. Most of all, I marvel at the maple trees, which get most of the credit for the colorful show. The multi-hued landscape near our cabin in the Adirondacks takes my breath away. ![]() ![]() A tight, hard-looking bark can be found on some sugar maples but not on red maples.Īs a general rule, if you try to peel the bark off a red maple, you will find it comes off easily, but sugar maple bark is rigid and does not come off, even if it looks like it is peeling.īulls-eyes sometimes appear in red maple bark but never in sugar maples.I treasure autumn in the northeastern United States. The “hard” in “hard maple” is sometimes reflected in the appearance of the tree’s bark. Red maple is also know as soft maple, while sugar maple is also called hard maple. Red maple–or swamp maple– can tolerate having wet roots, so if you know a given tree is a maple because of opposite branching, and if it is growing in or near water or a wet area, it is a red maple. As Chuck Wosster writes in Northern Woodlands magazine, “telling red maple from sugar maple can vex even seasoned botanists on occasion.” That said, there are a number of keys that help distinguish the two maples It is not easy to tell red maple from sugar maple. If you see at least one pair of opposite branches, it is either a maple or an ash. It is one of the dominant species in mixed hardwood forests, so generally if you find one tree, you will find many throughout the forest, unlike red maple, it does not tolerate wet roots, so it will not be found in swampy or boggy areas. Thus, it can start life even when over-shadowed by more mature trees. It is also tolerant of shade, meaning it does not need direct sunlight to grow. It has adapted to a variety of soil types, so it is not limited to specific conditions. Sugar maple can be found throughout the Northeast. ![]() In March, a popular dessert at church suppers in New England is “sugar-on-snow,” made by boiling sap and then pouring it on a bowl full of hard-packed snow. An area of many maple trees being tapped for sap is called a “sugarbush.” The sap is then transported to the sugarhouse where it is boiled down to make maple syrup and other maple-flavored products. With the trees in close proximity, it is easy to tap them for their sap. Some areas of the Northeastern forest are primarily composed of sugar maples. This means that many large mature trees populate our region. Its average life span is 300 years, and it can live up to 500 years. Sugar maple is the second most common tree in the Northeast. John Burroughs, Under the Maples Sugar Maple Tree Identification I always feel at home where the sugar maple grows… glorious in autumn, a fountain of coolness in the summer, sugar in its veins, gold in its foilage, warmth in its fibers, and health in it the year round. Red maple is also known as swamp maple because it can thrive in wet areas, while sugar maple cannot tolerate these conditions. If you see opposite branching on a tree and it is growing in a swamp, lowland, or right next to water, then you know it is a red maple. Home Organization News, Blog, & Articles.Energy Efficiency News, Blog, & Articles. ![]()
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