Sugar Maple

In the winter Sugar Maples become harder to identify. They lose their leaves, much like other trees. To identify Sugar Maples in the winter, use the bark or look for the leaves on the ground. 

In the fall, Sugar Maples still will have their leaves. They become an orange, red color. If the leaves have alreadu started falling off, you can look at the leaves around the tree to see if they belong to Sugar Maples. 

In the summer, the Sugar Maples leaves will look very similar to in the fall. However, the leaves may be green instead of orange. To identify, look at the leaves on the tree and look for the five lobes of the leaves. 

Sugar Maples help with many things within the environment. Such as, carbon sequestration, air quality improvement, soil conservation, water regulation, biodiversity support, cooling effects, supporting ecosystem, and sustainable resources (Gold Hat Nursery). Sugar Maples take carbon dioxide out of the air, stabilize soil, reduce runoff and water erosion, provide shade, and provide lumber. Sugar maples help humans, animals, and the rest of the environment with their benefits. 

There are many diseases that affect trees. Sugar Maples in Kentucky can be affected by Bacterial leaf scorch, caused by Xylella fastidiosa, a bacteria  (Hartman). There are some other diseases that occur in Sugar Maples that are not in Kentucky, including Anthracnose, fungal leaf spots, powdery mildew, and Verticillium wilt (The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station). In order to prevent the spread of these diseases to Kentucky, it is important not to bring wood from other places here.