Maples

Some species of maples have a hard, durable wood that can be used for making furniture, cabinets, interior trim, hardwood flooring, and other products that require strength and an ability to take a smooth finish. In North America, sugar and black maples are most commonly used for these purposes, and are known to carpenters as "hard" maples. Unusual and attractive grains known as curly and bird's-eye are especially desirable for the making of furniture. Lumber is also made from red, silver, and bigleaf maples, but the wood of these "soft" maples is not considered to be of as high a quality as that of sugar and black maples.

Various species of maples are grown as horticultural plants in urban areas, in parks, around homes, and along country roads. Sugar, black, and silver maples are native species commonly grown along rural and urban roadsides. Some non-native species of maples are also commonly used in horticulture, especially Norway maple (Acer platanoides), sycamore maple (A. pseudo-platanus), English maple (A. campestre), and Japanese maple (A. palmatum).