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Sugar maple tree in glorious fall colors; photo by Steven Severinghaus on Flickr (noncommercial use permitted with attribution / share alike)
Official State Tree of Vermont
The sugar maple (Acer saccharum) was designated the state tree of Vermont in 1949. Sugar maple is also the state tree of New York, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. All State Trees
Sugar Maple Tree Facts
Sometimes called hard maple or rock maple, sugar maple is one of the largest and more important of the hardwoods. Sap from the trunks of sugar maples is used to make maple syrup (maple is also the state flavor of Vermont). Sugar maple trees seldom flower until they are at least 22 years old, but they can also live 300 to 400 years.
Sugar maple tree trunks are tapped early in the spring to collect their sap.The sap is boiled into a syrup, or concentrated further with evaporation to produce maple sugar. 34 gallons of sap are required to produce 1 gallon of maple syrup (or 8 pounds of maple sugar). The leaves of sugar maple trees turn brilliant colors of red and gold in the fall.
