Identifying Silver Maple

[J. R. Dodge]

What is the best way to identify silvers when the leaves on the ground are all mixed. These are in a stand of very mature maples, any secrets?
Thanks,
Jim

[Backyarder]

Jim,

Not sure if you are talking about separating silvers from reds or separating silvers from sugars. The later should be relatively easy, just look at bud color - silvers and reds have red buds, sugars have dark brown or black buds.

When it comes to identifying silvers from reds, you should be aware that silvers and reds tend to hybridize if in close proximity, so you might not be able to precisely separate all your silvers from all your reds. However, that said, mature silvers (by mature trees I mean at least 18 inches breast height diameter) tend to have more of a "shaggy" bark than reds (i.e., the bark starts to peel like a shagbark hickory, but not as pronounced and in much narrower, smaller peels). While some mature reds can start to "shag," it doesn't tend to be as pronounced as silvers. Also, the bark of a mature silver tends to be grey to shiny-grey in color with hints of red and black in the "shags." By contrast, the bark of mature reds tends to have a more "brown" shade. However, if you've got hybridization between reds and silvers, all bets may be off on these tips.

Finally, I've always found that the crown growth of silvers tends to be more "umbelous" (that means growth like an elm, vase-like, where main branches tend to originate near the same point on the trunk, go straight up and then spread out, with branch angle from trunk tending to be very small), whereas the crown growth of a red is more spreading (main branches come off the trunk at a greater angle and at a different points up the trunk).

Hope all this helps. However, (just in case you hadn't thought of this) the best way to separate your silvers would be to walk the woods during spring or summer when the trees have leaves and mark your trees for next spring.

[J. R. Dodge]

Chip,
Thanks for the information, that makes it much easier to make the identification.
Jim

[twigbender]

Chip: JR must be a forester. He did an excellent job of describing the difference between red and silvers and sugars. Here in Minnesota we find sugars combined with basswood, ironwood, birch and oak and tend (not always) to occupy ridges. The silvers will be on low ground near streams, lakes, and swamps. The reds are usually in between and are often associated with aspen/ balsam fir stands and sometimes jack pine. Also, the sugars will often get a black bark near the base and up the bole for a few feet when they get near maturity. I've never seen that on silvers or reds. Good tapping!

[Backyarder]

Twigbender,

Thanks for the complement! Actually, I'm not a forester; I'm a lawyer and a hobby-farmer in my spare time (like I have any of that!). I thought seriously about forestry in undergrad and grad school, but left that to my wife and went for the $$ by pursuing law.

Believe it or not, I taught myself tree identification and got so good at it that I eventually taught dendrology (tree identification) labs as a graduate teaching assistant while in grad school (before law school).

Anyway, I know in my area (southwestern Pennsylvania), we mostly get silvers in lower-lying and other wet areas, but they do tend to get mixed with the reds in those areas too. Reds seem to be able to inhabit every environment around here, so you'll find them on ridgetops, in swampy low-lying areas, in well-drained hillsides (the only place where sugars will grow around here), in rocky, steep & dry slopes, etc. My guess was that JR was in a wet and low-lying area where silvers and reds were mixed up, as I know you'll get that kind of mix up in the woods of NH (or at least you do in Maine, where we vacation).

Hope you were able to work it out JR. Our season is about done here. I could hold out for another week of sap, but I've got too much to do before all our cows, sheep and goats start having babies on the farm.

[twigbender]

Chip: If I ever need legal advise concerning my Tree Farm, you know who I'm gong to call!!

Still haven't tapped. :( The high temps for the next 10 days is predicted to only get to 37. I'm really anxious!

Sam