| Location |
| Between 1.0 kilometer and the 0.75 mile markers |
| Fact about this tree and why it was chosen |
| Whereas sugar maple saplings are numerous on the forest floor and mature sugar maple trees are relatively uncommon (most are within the first half mile) along the Allegheny River Valley Trail. This specimen represents an in-between stage in the sugar maple life history. It has yet to develop furrowed bark, but is tall for a tree of this diameter. |
| Latin name |
| Acer saccharum |
| Fun facts |
- The light colored, close-grained, extraordinarily durable wood gives sugar maple an alternative name, the hard maple, and makes it an ideal choice for furniture and flooring. The value of sugar maple wood per board foot rivals that of oak and makes this species one of the most important for the timber industry.
- The sugar maple leaf is the iconic symbol of Canada, adorning its national flag. The sugar maple is also the state tree of New York. Although it is of lesser importance along the Allegheny River Valley Trail compared to its cousin the red maple, the sugar maple is the most abundant of its genus throughout New York, except for Long Island. The daily cycle of above and below freezing temperatures in late winter induces sap flow and triggers the onset of maple tapping season. With roughly a half million gallons of maple syrup production annually, New York vies with Maine for second place behind only Vermont. With continued climate change, the conditions necessary for maple tapping may be altered, placing the maple syrup industry at risk.
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How to identify this tree: |
| Leaf |
| The sugar maple leaf defines the classic five lobed maple leaf form. The clefts between the lobes are smooth, shallow, and “U” shaped. Leaf undersides are a slightly paler color compared to the upper surface. Because most maple species superficially resemble each other, the sugar maple can be confused with a number of its close relatives. The sinuses between the lobes of red maple leaves are serrated and “V” shaped rather than “U” shaped. The leaf shape of the introduced Norway maple closely mimics that of sugar maple. |
| Bark |
| Like many species in this region, younger trees have smooth grey bark. However, mature trees develop rough, elongated, irregular, brown colored vertical ridges, separated by grooves of variable width. |
| Flower and Fruit |
| Sugar maples produce drooping flower clusters in spring. The bee-pollinated flowers are unisex with a strong bias toward producing many more male than female flowers. The winged fruits are slow to mature, and when they become ripe in September, are released in a papery spray of maple confetti. The paired fruits, also called samaras, of Norway maple are larger, and set at such a wide angle that they appear nearly linear. By contrast, the fruits of sugar maple, like the leaves, form a “U shape”. |
| Other |
| Sugar maple thrives in a wide variety of conditions but is most adept in well developed medium or fine textured soils. The largest recorded sugar maple tree measured 110 feet tall with a diameter of over five feet and a crown 75 feet across. However, the competition of the forest reduces the typical mature sugar maple to a stature to a mere 80 feet! Sugar maple is highly shade tolerant and it is common to see the understory of our regional forests composed largely of sugar maple seedlings, waiting for a gap to be created by the death of a canopy tree. Many of the seedlings will never reach maturity, however, as they are subject to heavy deer browsing. The burgeoning population of white tail deer in the area has made sugar maple regeneration much more difficult. |