From light yellow to deep red, sugar maple is known for its fall color.
LaPorte is known as the Maple City for good reason. Seven out of 10 trees in the city are some kind of maple, with sugar maple being the most common of those.
Sugar maple has been the favored species here in the city for decades, even in the newest areas, and a few of these trees are over 100 years old. Seedlings were dug out of the woods around LaPorte county and planted along city streets. Someone must have had an idea of what LaPorte should look like — large, stately trees creating a cathedral appearance.
Sugar maple does well as an open grown tree and weathers strong winds, requiring only simple training to obtain the proper upright form of a street tree. However it does not always fare well in urban soils as it is sensitive to road salt and drought. Sugar maple is naturally a shallow-rooted species, a trait exacerbated by the compacted soil found in tree lawns and leading to the upheaval and cracking of sidewalks.
Sugar maple is quite susceptible to Verticilium wilt, a potentially fatal disease caused by the fungus Verticillium albo-atrum. A sugar maple already stressed by drought can quickly succumb to this disease in only a couple growing seasons.
Sugar maple has a close relative prominent here in LaPorte: black maple. Though the differences are subtle, the best way to tell them apart is the leaves. Sugar maple leaves have firm edges, while those of black maple droop as if heavy with water. Products such as lumber and syrup from both species are marketed as hard maple. Both are native to northwest Indiana, though black maple is more of a plains species while sugar maple is a woodland species.
Sugar maple is best known for its fall color, as well as being the source of maple syrup. Sugar maple is a hard maple, and is one of the most important lumber species in the Great Lakes region. The wood is commonly used for furniture, with special wood grain varieties such as curly and birdseye being the most sought after.
Sugar maple, and all other species of maple trees, are so well represented here in LaPorte that the Forestry Department is not planting any at this time. Having so many (71%) of our street trees in the same family leaves us vulnerable to insects and disease such as Verticillium wilt. We are currently focusing our planting efforts on other species while preserving the wonderful maple trees we do have.
KEITH O’HERRIN is the City Forester for the City of LaPorte. He can be found at the Park and Recreation Office at 250 Pine Lake Ave. or reached at 326-9600.
