Sugar Maple

The sugar maple is a large deciduous tree native to the hardwood forests of eastern North America, best known as the primary source of maple syrup, which is produced by boiling down the sap collected from the tree in late winter and early spring when temperature fluctuations cause sap to flow. It has the classic five-lobed maple leaf shape, and it is celebrated for its brilliant autumn foliage, turning shades of orange, red and yellow that make it one of the most prized trees for fall color across the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada. Sugar maples are slow-growing but long-lived, often surviving several hundred years, and their dense, hard wood is valued commercially for flooring, furniture and musical instruments. The tree holds particular cultural significance in Canada, where its leaf appears on the national flag, and it is highly sensitive to soil salt and air pollution, making it vulnerable to decline in some urban and roadside settings.