Buds are narrow, sharply pointed, and brown. On mature trees, the bark typically appears to have long plates that peel along the side edge. The bark on mature red maple trees typically has more narrow plates that peel from the top or bottom edge. Distribution and Habitat Sugar maple is one of 148 maple species found in the Northern Hemisphere, which includes about 90 native and introduced species in the United States. Sugar maple is most common in New England and the Great Lakes states as well as Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York.
Elevational limits vary throughout sugar maple's extensive range.
In northern New York and New England sugar maple occurs at elevations up to 2,500 feet. However, in the southern portions of its range, where the climate is typically warmer, sugar maple has a lower elevational limit of 3,000 feet and an upper limit of 5,500. Naturally occurring combinations of different tree species form associations called cover types. Sugar maple is part of six forest cover types within its range. These are listed in Table 1.