December Weather and Red Maple

On Bark #2

Figure 1. Red maple geographic range. Map by Ben Lockwood

Species Facts

• Scientific Name: Acer rubrum

• Growth Period: Spring to Summer

• Fire Tolerance: Low

• Growth Rate: Rapid

• Lifespan: 75-150 years

December Weather and Red Maple

Figure 2. Author, Ben Lockwood, staring up confusedly at a red maple tree. Photo by Catey Millis

The other day I went for another hike in Hartely Woods, in search of more tree bark. This time for red maple (Acer rubrum). Like sugar maple, red maple is a highly abundant species in eastern woods (Figure 1). In fact, the U.S. Forest service lists it as the most common species in North America. Despite this abundance, red maple is a species I don’t often work with. It’s less common in the established canopies of older forests, preferring more disturbed areas where it can outcompete slower growing species (in the short term). Because of my unfamiliarity I was slightly less confident (Figure 2) in my ability to identify the species on bark alone than I was with sugar maple.