![]() ![]() Widely planted as a landscaping plant and street tree, where it is valued for its attractive bold red fall foliage, and adaptability to just about any conditions, including urban conditions with compacted soil and exposure to pollution. Lifepsan is limited by its soft wood, making it prone to mechanical damage and rot. ![]() Individual trees' lifespans may be as much as 150 years or rarely 200, but more commonly 80-100 years or less. Resprouting is usually limited to the root crown this plant does not reproduce vegetatively beyond such resprouts. Individual plants are able to vigorously resprout after being damaged or top-killed by fire or mechanical damage. Seeds do not persist in the seed bank seeds found in the soil tend to have low viability. Mature trees typically produce good seed crops every other year, but may occasionally produce bumper crops. Flowers early in spring, before vegetative bud development seed matures before leaves are mature. More typically, seed production starts around 8 years, or longer for trees that began their life cycle under a closed forest canopy only to be released later. Trees can flower and produce seed as young as 4 years of age, if conditions are favorable for rapid growth. Seedlings establish under a forest canopy and survive 3-5 years under moderate shade more shade-tolerant towards the northern edge of its range. Seedlings germinate under a wide range of lighting, moisture, and soil conditions. Most seeds germinate from seed within 10 days after falling a small portion of seeds overwinter and germinate the following year. Red maple has a short life cycle with high seed production, but considerable variability and adaptability in response to varied conditions. Humans have increased the habitat for red maple across its range by creating more disturbance, gaps, and edge habitat, and widely clearing old-growth forests, creating more early-to-mid-successional forests in which it thrives. However, it can persist as a climax species on sites where other more tolerant species cannot survive, such as poorly-drained sites. On many sites, functions as an early-to-mid-successional species, and sometimes as a pioneer species, but it is eventually replaced by more shade-tolerant species. In much of its range, a dominant canopy tree only on wetter sites, and a more minor component of a wide range of other forest types. However, it colonizes recently burned sites, and will often survive to reproductive maturity on these sites if fire does not return at frequent enough intervals.įound in floodplains and other bottomland forests, swamps, upland forests and ridges, forested areas along roads and railways, and in mixed coniferous-deciduous forests. More shade-tolerant towards the north of its range.Īlthough tolerant of dry conditions, it is fire intolerant, and fire supression has increased the prevalance and dominance of this species on drier sites. Tolerates full sun and part shade, and almost any soil types, and has a slight preference for somewhat acidic soils. Often found, paradoxically, both on drier and wetter sites, as it tolerates both drought and flooding better than some species. A habitat generalist, red maple tolerates a broad range of conditions and is found in a range of habitats. ![]()
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