The first killing frost usually occurs between September 1 and November 10 and the last from March 20 to June 15, depending on latitude and elevation. Thus average growing seasons are from 80 to 260 days. Soils Sugar maple can survive in a wide variety of soil types, but for maximum tree growth and sap production, soils should be deep, moist, and well drained with medium or fine textures. In the Northeast, such soils are common along glacial tills and benches. Areas generally not favorable to sugar maple establishment include swamps, dry sandy ridges, and thin rocky soils.
Forests dominated by sugar maple often produce a heavy leaf litter.
Through the nutrients present in sugar maple leaves, the decaying litter can gradually have an influence on soil pH and nutrient status. Over the full range of soils where sugar maple occurs, it may be expected to reach a height at age 50 of between 40 and 80 feet. This relationship between height and a standard base age is know by foresters as site index. However, site index has limits in utility for shade tolerant species such as sugar maple that can remain suppressed as juveniles in the understory. In these cases, site index values would underestimate the potential productivity of the site.