![]() This creates the potential for significant soil erosion in some areas. Add exotic earthworms to the mix and you have a forest floor that is often devoid of vegetation and leaf litter for much of the year. On the negative side, most desirable species cannot grow there either. On the plus side, most undesirable species, such as buckthorn and other non-native shrubs, cannot grow under these low-light conditions. This characteristic is both good and bad. The sugar maple forests of today are known for their dense shade and open, almost nonexistent, understory. If you are considering planting one, however, know that they are not at all tolerant of salt, and do not like soil compaction or hot, dry areas. Sugar maple is a very shade-tolerant tree and a terrific shade producer. In addition to being a major forest component, sugar maples can be found in every active use/picnic area within the Park District due to the significant amount of shade they provide. This means that all of the reforestation efforts within these parks will resemble the vegetation you would have found within the Big Woods at the time of European settlement (circa 1850). Lake Rebecca Park Reserve and Baker Park Reserve are the primary Big Woods parks in Three Rivers. The name refers to a forest with tall, cathedral-like trees and an understory that is easy to navigate compared to the more densely vegetated understory of oak forests. The term Big Woods was the name that French explorers gave the forests of this area after they encountered it for the first time. Much of the Park District sits within the historic “Big Woods” forest range. Sugar maples are major components of Maple-Basswood forests, one of two major native forest types we have here at Three Rivers Park District (the other being Oak-Aspen-Hickory). ![]() Canada likes this tree so much that it put it on its national flag! They are so well-liked that there are at least 11 different selections, or cultivars, of this species available at most nurseries. They are fan favorites in the fall, thanks to their often bright hues, as well as in the spring, thanks to maple syruping. However, even just tapping one or two trees and drinking the sap or using it in cooking is a beautiful experience.Sugar maples are some of the most well-known native trees around the Twin Cities. There’s nothing quite like spending your early spring days collecting sap from maple trees and boiling it down into syrup over a roaring fire. Tapping trees and boiling down sap into syrup can be a time-consuming process, but I think it’s worth it just for the sap itself! Check out my three-part video series about tapping maple trees at home if you’d like more info! Silver maple and red maple sap have around 1.5% sugar, while ashleaf maple has only 1%. The sap of black maple has a sugar content close to that of sugar maple’s, and is also tapped commercially. Furthermore, black maple has fine hairs across the lower leaf surface that give it a velvety feel, and the base of the leaf stalk displays distinctive stipules. It can be distinguished by its more shallowly lobed leaves and drooping leaf edges. nigrum) is very similar in appearance to sugar maple, and the two species even hybridize! In fact, there is some debate about whether they should be considered separate species at all. Another option is to identify the trees when leaves are out, mark their location, and return to tap them the following spring.īlack maple ( A. ![]() Learning to identify maples in the winter is important, as the sugaring season starts before leaves appear (around here in Minneapolis usually in March.) As such, becoming familiar with the bark and winter buds will help you distinguish maples from other trees, as well as maple species from each other. platanoides) should be avoided because it produces cloudy sap. According to Modern Maple, Norway maple ( A. Most species of maples can be tapped for syrup-even ashleaf maple or box elder ( Acer negundo)! You will probably just have to boil the sap longer, and the resulting product may be a bit different than what you’d expect. While maple syrup from any source is delicious, learning to tap trees is a highly rewarding seasonal activity, and I encourage you to try it! But just because it’s readily found at a store doesn’t mean that its origins aren’t wild. People don’t often think of maple trees as wild edibles, but I beg to differ! Maple syrup and related goods are one of the most commercially available wild food products in North America, probably the most commercially available.
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