Mountain Watch

How to identify — Unlike most deciduous trees, maples (as well as ashes, dogwoods and some shrubs) have leaves and twigs that are arranged in opposite pairs along the stem. (Most deciduous species have leaves and twigs arising alternately along the stem.) Red maple leaves have three pointed leaves and are coarsely toothed, and turn a deep scarlet in autumn. Bark is smooth and gray on young trees, developing vertical fissures as the tree ages (though the pattern is undistinctive and is not a good key to identification). The buds are round and red; before leafout in spring they swell noticeably and the crowns of red maple trees have a distinct reddish cast when seen from a distance.

Habitat/Distribution — Red maple is widely distributed in eastern hardwood forests from the Great Lakes and St Lawrence River south to the Gulf of Mexico and from the Mississippi River to the Atlantic Ocean. It tolerates a wide range of ecological conditions and can be found on almost any soil type from very wet to very dry, and from valley bottoms to mountain slopes up to the lower edge of the spruce-fir zone. However, it is most common on wet or dry soils and less common on good soils where it is outcompeted by other hardwood species.

Ecology — Because of its tolerance for a wide range of conditions, red maple can be found growing with many other species. It has light, easily dispersed seeds and sprouts aggressively from cut or damage stumps. As a result, the species has been favored by the increased disturbance of the forest since European settlement and it is now the most common hardwood in many parts of our region. Though not as long-lived a sugar maple, under some conditions it can reach 150 years of age and exceed 24” in diameter. Almost every part of the Maple is used by wildlife as food. Beavers and porcupines chew the bark. Snowshoe hare, deer and moose browse the twigs and winter buds. Buds as wells as flowers are eaten by grosbeaks, purple finches, nuthatches and grouse, and the seeds are stripped of their wings and stored as winter food by squirrels and chipmunks.

Environmental Change Issues — Because of its tolerance of a wide range of conditions and its ability to respond favorably to disturbance, red maple may be less affected by (and may even benefit from) future changes in climate. It may also benefit from declines in soil fertility caused by acidic deposition and expand on to soils now occupied by sugar maple.