![]() Photo credit top of page: Rob Routledge, Sault College, Creative Commons License licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. Remember that even experts make mistakes on tree identification. Spend time watching this video and get out and practice before the tapping season so that you are ready for the big day. ![]() For beginners to maple identification practicing during the growing season gives you the most options for proper identification. The video below walks you through what to look for in bark patterns of maples.Īs with most things, accurate identification of maples for making maple syrup requires lots of practice. Using bark as an identifier is as much an art as a science. Since maples do not have leaves on during the tapping season, learning bark patterns will make for more accurate and faster identification. Other oppositely branched trees have compound leaves, which have multiple blades per leaf. Simple leaves have only one blade per leaf. The leaves of the three main maple species used for making syrup are all simple and lobed. If it is the growing season, you can use leaves to help confirm identity of maples. Other trees have an opposite pattern so you should next look at additional identifying characters. ![]() Quercus Rubra (Red Oak) Image Credit: Maren Winter, Shutterstock. The Tatarian Maple is a small tree or shrub that is native to Southeastern Europe and Western Asia but can be found growing in many temperate areas of the world. Another clever way to differentiate between the two is to look at their leaf lobes while the red oak tree leaves meet at a point, the white oak tree has round-ended leaves. When planted in full sun, these trees can grow to 25 feet. is similar to its relative, the Japanese maple since it has delicate leaves, however, the Shantung Maple is hardier and it enjoys more sun. While it is on the smaller side, this ornamental tree packs a lot of punch. Tatarian Maple (Acer tataricum) Image by F. Light Requirement: Partial Sun to Full Sun. You should look at several branches to make sure that damage has not broken one off. 8 Popular Maple Trees To Plant In Colorado. That means that there are two branches or leaves attached to the stem opposite of each other. Maples have an opposite branching pattern. Maple identification begins with looking at branching patterns. It also helps you to identify two other tree species that could confuse you in the woods at tapping time. This video shows the distinguishing characteristics of the three main maple species in Wisconsin used in making maple syrup. Properly identifying maples during tapping season is more challenging because you do not have leaves on the trees to help with identification. It very disappointing after slogging through the cold to tap trees only to find out later that they were the wrong trees. The first and most important activity when deciding to make maple syrup is correctly identifying maple trees in your sugar bush.
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