Maple trees are a pretty standard neighborhood shade tree and fill many suburban yards and parks. They are readily available at your local nursery and can be relatively inexpensive. But not all Maples are created equal.
The Norway Maple is very common tree which can be found in residential plantings. It comes in a host of cultivars which each have their own distinct features. Rarely is this plant labeled "Norway Maple" so shoppers should look for the latin Acer Platanoides on the tags of the trees they purchase.
Many state DNRs have called the Norway Maple out as being an ecological threat to native Maple stands. While the plant starts off as a purchase intended for your lawn, the plant's seeds spread fairly easily, and it displaces native Maples in forests.
This tree is a relatively easy one to avoid planting largely because there are a number of native options which are regularly commercially available.
The Sugar Maple is a Wisconsin favorite. What's not to love about local, real, natural Maple syrup? We even know some folks who tap their own trees. This isn't a tree we have in our own yard. As mentioned in the initial post, our yard had no trees when we moved in. However our neighborhood has a number of Sugar Maples including one immediately behind our house in our neighbor's yard. Regular foragers in this mature tree include Black Capped Chickadees, White Breasted Nuthatches, Downey Woodpeckers, and Hairy Woodpeckers. Sometimes in the early Spring we see Brown Creepers or Yellow Bellied Sapsuckers in the tree.
Woodpecker flies down from Sugar Maple for peanuts.
Chickadees want in on the action too.
If your interest in a Maple is primarily about fall color, then a Red Maple is a good native choice. This tree is supposed to be easy to grow and is natively found in almost every state East of the Rockies. Another choice is the Silver Maple which is native to much of the United States and Canada. The Silver Maple is likely to give your yard a splash of yellow during the Fall. There are cultivars for both of these native species and even hybrid versions, see Acer Freemanii.
With a good variety of native trees to choose from, there's no need to plant invasive Maples. If you find that your municipality is using Norway Maples as boulevard trees, consider contacting your local alderperson or trustee to suggest planting natives instead.
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