Acer saccharum

Sugar Maple

Acer saccharum, commonly known as Sugar Maple, is a long-lived native shade tree celebrated for its dense canopy, brilliant fall color, and high-quality wood. Spring foliage emerges light green, maturing to deep green through summer and forming a broad, cooling canopy.

In autumn, sugar maple is legendary—turning golden yellow, orange, and fiery red, often with exceptional intensity. The habit is upright to broadly rounded, developing into a stately large tree with strong structure and excellent longevity.

Sugar maple performs best in full sun to partial shade and prefers well-drained, slightly acidic soils. It is less tolerant of compacted soils, road salt, and urban stress than red maple, but excels in lawns, parks, and naturalized settings.

Size



Width: 40–60 ft



Height: 60–75 ft (occasionally larger with age)



Hardiness



USDA Zones: 4–8



Best Uses


Large shade tree for lawns and parks



Native and woodland plantings



Fall color focal point



Long-term landscape and institutional sites



Sugar production (maple syrup)

Plant type

Deciduous Tree, Shade Tree

Height

60-75'

Width

40-50'

Hardiness zones

4–8

Sunlight

Full Sun, Partial Shade

Growth rate

Moderate

Bloom time

Spring

Leaf color

Green

Fall color

Orange Red

Attracts

Bees

Soil

Acidic, Loamy

Landscape use

Provide Shade

Bark

Fissured

Deer resistant

Yes

Drought tolerant

No