Maple (Acer spp.) contains about 120 species native to Asia [16], North America [13], Mexico and Guatemala [1], and the European/Mediterranean region [6], with the rest in Eura­sia, Malaysia and northern Africa. The Maples can be separated into two groups based on the ray widths of their microscopic anatomy, the soft maple group and the hard maple group. Species within each group look alike microscopically. Acer is the classical Latin name of maple.

Acer barbatum hammock maple, Florida maple, southern sugar maple, sugar maple

Acer circinatum vine maple, mountain maple

Acer glabrum bark maple, California mountain maple, Douglas maple, dwarf maple, mountain maple, New Mexico maple, rocky mountain maple, shrubby maple, sierra maple, soft maple

Acer grandidentatum bigtooth maple, canyon maple, hard maple, large-toothed maple, sugar maple, ultravioletalde bigtooth maple, western sugar maple

Acer leucoderme halk maple, palebark maple, sugar maple, whitebark maple
Acer macrophyllum* big-leaf, bigleaf maple, broadleaf maple, broadleaved maple,

bugleaf maple, Californian maple, Oregon maple, pacific maple, white maple

Acer negundo*        ash maple, ashleaf maple, black ash, boxelder, boxelder maple, California boxelder, cut-leaved maple, inland boxelder, manitoba maple, negundo maple, red river maple, stinking ash, sugar ash, three-leaved maple, western boxelder

Acer nigrum* black maple, black sugar maple, hard maple, rock maple, sugar maple, white maple

Acer pennsylvaticum buckwood, goose-foot maple, moosewood, mountain alder, northern maple, Pennsylvanian maple, striped dogwood, striped maple, whistlewood

Acer rubrum* Carolina red maple, drummond maple, drummond red maple, Oregon maple, red maple, scarlet maple, shoe-peg maple, silver ma­ple, soft maple, southern soft maple, swamp maple, three-pointed­leaf maple, three-toothed red maple, water maple, white maple

Acer saccharinum*        maple, soft maple, swamp maple, water maple, white maple

Acer saccharum* bird’s-eye maple, black maple, curly maple, hard maple, rock maple, rough maple, sugar, sugar maple, sugar-tree, sweet maple, thumb­nail maple

Acer spicatum goose-foot maple, low maple, moose maple, mountain maple, mountain maple-bush, spiked maple, water maple

 

*commercial species

Distribution: Throughout most of North America, with commercial species in the eastern United States and Canada and the western coast of the United States (bigleaf maple).

The Tree: Maples grow to heights of 120 ft (36 m), with a diameter of 3 ft (1 m). Forest grown trees may have a clear bole of 60 ft (18 m).

General Wood Characteristics: Maple lumber comes principally from the Middle At­lantic and Lake States, which together account for about two-thirds of the production. The wood of sugar maple and black maple is known as hard maple; that of silver maple, red ma­ple, and boxelder as soft maple. The sapwood of the maples is commonly white with a slight reddish-brown tinge; the heartwood is light reddish brown, but sometimes is consid­erably darker. The sapwood is from 3 to 5+ inches (76 to 127+ mm) thick.

Hard maple has a fine, uniform texture, turns well on a lathe, is resistant to abrasion and has no characteristic odor or taste. It is heavy, strong, stiff, hard, and resistant to shock, and it has large shrinkage. Sugar maple is generally straight grained but the grain also occurs as “birds-eye,” “curly,” and “fiddleback” grain.

The wood of soft maples resembles that of hard maples but is not as heavy, hard and strong, the better grade of soft maple has been substituted for hard maple in furniture. The sapwood in the soft maples is considerably wider than that in the hard maples and has a lighter heart­wood color.

Maple lumber sometimes has olive or greenish black discolored areas known as mineral streak or mineral stain, which may be due to injury. Maple wood stains well and takes a high polish. It is intermediate in gluing and has low decay resistance.

 

aData for green and 12% conditions taken from reference (98); ovendry data from reference (59).

 

 

Drying and shrinkage

Percentage of shrinkage
(green to final moisture content)

Type of shrinkage        0% MCa        6% MCb        20% MCb

 

 

Kiln drying schedulea

4/4, 5/4, 6/4        8/4        10/4        12/4        16/4

Condition        stock        stock        stock        stock        stock

Soft maplesb        T8-D4        T6-C3        T5-C2        T3-B2        NA

Hard maplesc        T8-C3        T5-C2        T3-B2        T3-A1        T3-A1

aReferences (6, 86). bBigleaf, red and silver. cBlack and sugar.

Working Properties: The wood turns well, is harder to work than softer woods, and has high nail-holding ability. It stains and polishes well, but is intermediate in gluing.

Durability: Rated as slightly or nonresistant to heartwood decay. Preservation: Moderately resistant to penetration with preservatives.

Uses: Lumber, distillation, veneer, crossties, paper pulp, flooring, furniture, pallets, boxes and crates, shoe lasts, handles, woodenware, novelties, spools and bobbins, bowling alleys, dance floors, piano frames, bowling pins, cutting blocks, pulpwood and turnery.

Toxicity: May cause allergic bronchial asthma, dermatitis and rhinitis (40). Additional Reading: 5, 29, 55, 68, 74.

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