Sugar Maple

The sugar maple lends its lively fall colors to New England and provides sap to make delicious maple syrup. These trees have thrived in New England and in parts of the Midwest, where the winter climate is perfect for promoting sap production. However, a projected 6 to 10 degree temperature rise would bring spring early and prematurely halt sap production. Sugar maples cannot handle drier conditions that may result from rising temperatures and could be replaced by hardier species such as oak, hickory, and pine, which prefer warmer weather. If that happens, New England would lose one of its most enduring symbols of autumn.

Scientific name: Acer saccharum
IUCN Red List: Not Evaluated
Region: Southeast, Northeast