Reddish-brown to light brown. Buds brown and sharp pointed. Horseshoe-shaped with wings almost parallel, maturing in autumn sometimes persisting into winter. Gray brown, smooth on young trunks, older trunks fissured with long, irregular flakes. Sugar maple wood is used for furniture, musical instruments and flooring and the sap is tapped for maple syrup production.
Sugar maple is an excellent ornamental tree for large open areas.
Birds and rodents eat the seeds. Deer, squirrels, porcupine and other mammals browse the twigs, buds and bark.