Few native trees are as iconic as the sugar maple.  As a kid, I was fascinated by those hearty Vermonters tapping this noble tree for its sugary sap, boiling it down to the delicious maple syrup that graced my morning pancakes.  Indeed, the sugar maple is so much a part of Americana that it is the official tree of no less than four states—New York, Vermont, Wisconsin and West Virginia.  Its leaf graces the center of Canada’s flag.  Also reflecting is ubiquity in folk usage, it is known alternately as "rock maple," "sugar tree," "sweet maple," "hard maple," "bird’s eye maple," or "curly maple”.  

As you might expect for such a noble species, its distribution is wide ranging from the Eastern Seaboard, westward into central Minnesota, Iowa, the Ozarks and up the Missouri River Valley into Kansas.  Sugar maple is shade tolerant, so it quickly gains a foothold in the understory of mesic woodlands. It can be grown from seed, if you are patient.  However, if you are transplanting a sapling, be sure that your specimen is locally sourced.  It is a highly variant plant and adapts to local conditions stringently.  An “outsider” will often not fare as well as one of the natives of the area. 

The sugar maple is a fine shade tree albeit a huge one.  When siting your planting be aware that it can ultimately grow to 60 to 100 feet in height with a circumference that will vary depending on its neighbors.  Although it can grow and dominate an understory, it doesn’t stay there!  Another consideration is that it is a deciduous tree.  All those wonderful red-yellow fall leaves will drop come winter.  Also, in the spring you’ll see a vigorous production of samaras, pairs of winged seeds.  So, if you are trying to maintain one of those squeaky-clean suburban lawns, keep your rake at-the-ready!  

Sugar Maple is a long-lived tree, persisting for 200 years and occasionally 300.  It will bear seeds at about 30 years and should not be tapped for sap until about 50 years of age.  Since it does require a hard frost for proper dormancy, it is not seen in proliferation beyond USDA zones 3 to 5.  Although well-adapted to its native environment, human activity has taken a toll on the sugar maple population.  Air pollution, acid rain and soil acidification have decimated many populations.  Street salting has destroyed sugar maples as street trees, leading to their replacement with the more tolerant non-native Norway Maple.  Givern these limitations, however, the sugar maple will grow well in a variety of soils, although good drainage is a must.  It is not a flood plain tree.  It is a fairly rapid grower, so in a few years with relatively little care, you will be rewarded with a luscious shade-tree and a glorious blaze of fall color.

Photo Credits: https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=37003644 (1), https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=37003638 (2)