However, for sugaring, red maple does have three important weaknesses. This lower sap sugar content translates to higher costs of production and lower profits. Secondly, red maple begins growth in the spring before sugar and black maples, resulting in a shorter collecting season. In addition, when the sap of some red maples is processed, an excessive amount of sugar sand is produced. Sugar sand or niter is the salt that precipitates during the evaporation process.
Sugar sand can cause several problems during the production process.
Throughout much of the commercial maple region, however, most maple producers will not tap silver maple. Silver maple is among the fastest growing hardwood species commonly planted in eastern North America, certainly the fastest growing maple. For this reason, it has been widely planted as an ornamental and street tree. Its use as an ornamental and street tree, at least in urban areas, has been discontinued in recent years because the wood of silver maple is very brittle and often breaks in severe wind, snow or ice storms. Nevertheless, large silver maple street trees are numerous in many areas and these are sometimes tapped as part of a sugaring operation.