Hard maple, sugar maple, rock maple

Unlike most other hardwoods, the sapwood of hard maple lumber is most commonly used rather than its heartwood. Sapwood color ranges from nearly white, to an off-white cream color, sometimes with a reddish or golden hue. The heartwood tends to be a darker reddish brown. Birdseye maple is a figure found most commonly in hard maple, though it’s also found less frequently in other species. Hard maple can also be seen with curly or quilted grain patterns.

Grain is generally straight, but may be wavy. Has a fine, even texture.

This wood species is not listed in the CITES Appendices or on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. However, many Butternut trees in North America are currently afflicted by a fungal disease (Sirococcus clavigigenti-juglandacearum) known as Butternut canker. The rapid decline of Butternut has prompted the US Fish and Wildlife Service to list it as a species of federal concern. The tree is protected in Canada as well.

In tree form, hard maple is usually referred to as sugar maple, and is the tree most often tapped for maple syrup. (It’s also the state tree in four different states in the US.) Also called rock maple, its wood may be fairly considered as the king of the Acer genus. Its wood is stronger, stiffer, harder, and denser than all of the other species of maple commercially available in lumber form. For more information, please see the article on the Differences Between Hard Maple and Soft Maple. Wood Info from Copyright © 2008–2022 Eric Meier. https://www.wood-database.com