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PLANTS AND MAN 



Of the six commercially important maples, five are trees of 

 the eastern United States, ranging from Southern Canada south- 

 ward to the Gulf states and from the Atlantic coast to the Great 

 Plains region. Outstanding in importance among these are the 

 SUGAR MAPLE and the black maple which furnish the hard maple 

 of the lumber trade. Both are large trees with maximum dimen- 

 sions of one hundred thirty by five feet, those forest grown having 

 clear, straight trunks, while open grown trees branch near the 

 ground to produce dense, rounded crowns. They are long-lived 

 trees, and if not injured by fires or grazing, will reach ages of 



A B 



Fig. 219. — ^Two common maples are the sugar maple (A) and the red maple (B). 



three hundred years. The wood of both is hard, close-grained, 

 and strong; the heartwood light reddish brown in color, the sap- 

 wood white. 



Red maple and silver maple are medium-sized trees, and 

 furnish the "soft maple" of commerce. Both are fast growing trees 

 which reach maturity early and rarely live to be one hundred 

 fifty years old. They are also alike in that they reach their best 

 development on swamp- or bottom-lands, although red maple 

 is at home on all sorts of soils, even to sterile, dry, hilltops. The 

 wood is medium-hard and close-grained, with pale brown 

 heartwood and a thick layer of white sap wood. The Ash-leaved, 

 or box-elder maple is of little commercial value, being generally 

 a small tree with soft, light wood. All of these native maples are 

 widely used as ornamental and shade trees, the red maple 



