The Tree House Forest Product Information Sheet

No.87 MAPLE

COMMON NAME: MAPLE SYRUP, SUGAR MAPLE, ROCK OR HARD MAPLE

GENUS & SPECIES: Acer saccharum

FAMILY: ACERACEAE

FAMILY RELATIONS:

GENERAL: Several trees of the acer genus produce a sweet sap, the sweetest and therefore the most commonly used is the sugar maple which is native to North America. It is a large tree that can grow to 35m in height and have a trunk diameter of over 1m. Like all acers it has heavily lobed leaves and winged seeds, which follow the pale yellow flowers. In autumn the leaves turn a variety of colours between dark red and yellow that make it most attractive.

ECOLOGY: The sugar maple is fully frost hardy but in summer likes to receive full sunshine. It will tolerate a wide range of soils providing they are well drained.

CULINARY USES: The native Indians were tapping maple syrup as their main source of sweetness for thousands of years before the Europeans arrived. Even with the advent of sugar cane it is still a commercially important forest product but the fact that it takes 40 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of syrup makes it an expensive if delicious luxury. It goes particularly well with ice cream, pancakes, crumpets and various sweet dishes but can also be used in certain savoury situations such as glazed ham and some vegetables. Its expense means that the lower grades are sometimes adulterated with corn oil.

OTHER USES: The timber of the sugar maple, which is sold as rock or hard maple, is a major commodity in North America and is exported around the world. It is used in the production of furniture, flooring, musical instruments, veneer and plywood.