Norway Maple

Problem Species

Mid-Atlantic & Northeast Suburbs

1369 cities

Norway Maple (Acer platanoides) is a European import that was aggressively planted as a street and shade tree throughout the mid-20th century. You can identify it by snapping a leaf stem: if it bleeds milky white sap, it's a Norway Maple, not a Sugar Maple. It has a dense, rounded crown and dark green leaves that turn yellow in fall, but it offers almost nothing to native wildlife and actively degrades the land around it.

Lifespan

60 to 80 years under typical conditions, though many are removed well before that due to structural failures, Verticillium decline, or municipal invasive species removal programs.

Mature Size

40 to 50 feet tall with a canopy spread of 30 to 50 feet, often wider than tall in open settings.

⚠ Problem Species

Why it's a problem: Invasive - dense shade kills understory, shallow roots heave sidewalks, now banned in some states

Care & Maintenance

This tree requires almost no care, which is part of the problem. It tolerates compacted soil, drought, pollution, and deep shade better than most native species. Fertilizing or extra watering is unnecessary and will only accelerate its already aggressive growth.

Common Issues & Threats

Verticillium wilt: A soil-borne fungal disease (Verticillium dahliae) that causes sudden wilting and dieback, often on one side of the tree first. There is no cure once it's in the soil, and it can persist there for decades, affecting future plantings.
Norway Maple aphid (Periphyllus lyropictus): These colonies can reach enormous numbers by midsummer, coating leaves and dropping sticky honeydew onto everything below. That honeydew feeds sooty mold, which turns cars, patios, and pavement black.
Invasive seeding and root heaving: A single mature tree can drop 30,000 or more viable seeds per year, and seedlings establish in forests, stream banks, and natural areas where they eventually form shade so dense that native plants cannot regenerate. At the same time, the shallow, aggressive root system will lift sidewalks, crack driveways, and invade drainage lines within 10 to 15 years of planting.

Pruning Guide

Prune in late summer or early fall after the tree has hardened off for the season. Pruning in late winter or early spring triggers a heavy sap flow from wounds that can persist for weeks. Here is what most people get wrong: aggressive crown reduction does not slow this tree down. It responds to heavy pruning by sending up vigorous water sprouts that make the canopy denser and harder to manage within a few seasons.

Did You Know?

That bare ring of dirt under a Norway Maple is not a soil problem you can fix with compost or mulch. The canopy blocks so much light that even turf grasses cannot survive, and the shallow roots compete aggressively for any moisture. Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and parts of New York have banned the sale of Norway Maple outright, so if you are in those states and plant one, you may be in violation of state law.

Where Norway Maple Is Found

Norway Maple is common in 1369 of the US communities we cover, across 1 climate regions.

Hardiness Zones 4-8

Ellicott City, MD Zone 7b Mount Vernon, NY Zone 7b Centreville, VA Zone 7a Framingham, MA Zone 6b Bayonne, NJ Zone 7b Gaithersburg, MD Zone 7b Lakewood, NJ Zone 7a Portland, ME Zone 6a Haverhill, MA Zone 6a Union City, NJ Zone 7b Rockville, MD Zone 7b Bethesda, MD Zone 7b

... and 1357 more cities

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