Sugar Maple
Acer saccharum
Deciduous TreeAbout Sugar Maple
Sugar Maple is one of the most iconic trees of eastern North America, renowned for its spectacular orange and red fall color and its sweet sap used to produce maple syrup. It is the national tree symbol of Canada and provides valuable hardwood timber known for its beautiful grain patterns.
Quick Facts
How to Identify Sugar Maple
- Five-lobed leaves with smooth, U-shaped sinuses (no teeth between lobes)
- Brilliant orange, red, and golden-yellow fall color
- Gray-brown bark that becomes deeply furrowed and platy with age
- Paired, horseshoe-shaped samaras
- Dense, rounded to oval crown
Care Guide
- Prune in late summer or early fall to minimize sap bleeding
- Water deeply during summer droughts
- Avoid salt exposure from road deicing, which causes leaf scorch
- Mulch to maintain cool, moist root conditions
- Sensitive to soil compaction and urban pollution
Known Issues (9)
Asian Longhorned Beetle
CRITICALA large wood-boring beetle that attacks hardwoods including maples, elms, willows, and birches. Native to China and Korea, it was first detected in New York in 1996. Infestations can kill trees within a few years.
Affecting 5 regions
Spotted Lanternfly
MODERATEAn invasive planthopper native to China first detected in Pennsylvania in 2014. While it primarily threatens agriculture (grapes, hops, fruit trees), it feeds on over 70 plant species. It excretes honeydew that promotes sooty mold growth.
Affecting 21 regions
Japanese Beetle
MODERATEAn invasive beetle introduced to New Jersey in 1916. Adults skeletonize leaves of over 300 plant species while larvae (grubs) damage turf grass roots. They are particularly damaging to linden, birch, and fruit trees.
Affecting 35 regions
Anthracnose
MODERATEA group of fungal diseases causing leaf spots, cankers, and shoot blight on many shade trees. Sycamore, dogwood, maple, and oak are commonly affected. Cool, wet spring weather promotes infection of newly expanding leaves.
Affecting 38 regions
Armillaria Root Rot
HIGHOne of the most widespread and destructive forest diseases in the world, caused by a complex of honey mushroom species. It attacks stressed trees through root contact and can persist in dead stumps for decades, infecting nearby healthy trees.
Affecting 36 regions
Bacterial Leaf Scorch
HIGHA chronic bacterial disease that affects many shade tree species, particularly oaks, elms, sycamores, and maples. The bacterium is transmitted by xylem-feeding leafhoppers and spittlebugs and colonizes the water-conducting vessels, restricting water flow. Symptoms worsen each year as more of the canopy is affected. There is no cure.
Affecting 19 regions
Verticillium Wilt
HIGHA soilborne fungal disease that affects hundreds of plant species including maples, elms, redbuds, and many other trees. The fungus invades through roots and colonizes the vascular system, blocking water transport. Symptoms often appear suddenly on individual branches. Maples are particularly susceptible. Olive-green to brown streaking in the sapwood is diagnostic.
Affecting 27 regions
Leaf Spot Diseases
LOWA broad group of fungal diseases that cause discrete spots on the leaves of deciduous trees. Most are primarily cosmetic and do not seriously harm established trees. They are most common during wet spring and summer weather. Many different fungi cause leaf spots on different tree species.
Affecting 38 regions
Tar Spot
LOWA very common and distinctive fungal disease of maple leaves. The raised black spots are dramatic in appearance but the disease is almost entirely cosmetic and does not harm tree health. It is most severe in cool, wet years. The fungus overwinters in fallen leaves.
Affecting 22 regions