Birds, squirrels, and other rodents usually consume only a negligible amount of the seeds. The minimum seed-bearing age for sugar maple is about thirty years. After this age some seed is produced every year, but massive quantities of viable seed are produced cyclically, usually at two to five-year intervals depending on climatic conditions. During these good seed years, trees are loaded with flowers, which gives them a yellowish cast when seen from a distance. The large quantities of seed produced in good years normally result in many seedlings.
Seeds usually germinate in the spring following their autumn dispersal.
In addition, sugar maple has a strong tendency to sprout in response to fire, cutting, disease, or physiological disorders. For example, the Ice Storm of January 1998 broke crowns from many sugar maple trees throughout the northeastern United States and Canada. Some of these sugar maples will be able to resprout and ultimately regain their original vigor, but others will have been so badly damaged they will ultimately die. Reproduction or regeneration of a forest should be a major concern for any woodland owner who is planning to harvest trees . In the case of sugar maple, natural regeneration through seed establishment and prolific sprouting is generally successful in replenishing the amount of growing stock in a stand even after a fairly heavy cutting.