The sugar maple, also known as rock maple or hard maple, reaches 70 to 100 feet in height, with a diameter of 2 to 3 feet. The leaves have five lobes, and are dull dark green above and paler underneath. In the fall, the leaves turn red, orange or yellow. The bark is light gray, with narrow, scaly ridges.

Sugar maple wood is used for furniture, flooring and veneer. Distinctive grains like birdseye or curly patterns are much sought-after. Sugar maple also makes fine firewood.

Maple syrup is made from the boiled concentrated sap of the sugar maple. Each mature tree can yield between 5 and 60 gallons of sap each year. Making 1 gallon of syrup requires from 30 to 50 gallons of sap.

Sugar maples are generally at least 30 years old and 12 inches in diameter before being tapped. Larger trees can support several taps. Tapping does not permanently damage the tree. Only about 10% of the tree's sap is collected per year.

The season for tapping maple trees lasts about 4 to 6 weeks. Warm, sunny spring days above 40 degrees F. and frosty nights are ideal for sap flow. The season ends when the nights are warmer and the trees begin to develop buds.