The great maple tree is a very interesting and iconic species of tree. The two most well-known properties of the maple tree are probably that you can make maple syrup from it, and that it is even the symbol for the entire country of Canada.
But there are so many more exciting things the maple tree can be used for, this article will show you all the amazing uses of the Maple tree.
The Maple tree can be used for firewood, as a natural soft drink, maple syrup, woodworking, sports equipment, hardwood flooring, smoking meat, helicopter seeds, food for humans, food for animals, a country symbol (Canada), whiskey, musical instruments, as support for honeybees and much more.
Firewood
The Maple tree is made of fairly dense wood. This makes Maple a great wood to use for firewood. Burning maple in your fireplace will give you strong long-lasting fires which provides a good amount of heat. Maple is also an easy type of wood to split and it burns clean.
We differentiate between two types of maple. That is soft maple and hard maple. Hard maple is a species of Maple that has a much denser wood than the soft maple trees. Soft Maple is not one single species, but rather an umbrella term for a group of maple trees where the wood has similar densities.
Denser species for maple will burn longer when used as firewood.
Natural Soft Drink
Glass of water with maple leaf image
In early spring, when the tree gets ready to send up all the nutrient juice to the leaves that it has been storing all winter. You can tap the tree and take some of that precious liquid for yourself.
The maple water has a fresh sweet taste with a hint of the taste of honey. Maple water is also full of nutrients.
Maple water also has a fair amount of nutritional value. A standard glass that contains 8 ounces ( 2.4dl) of maple water contains 20 Calories, 4.6 grams of sugar, and many different vitamins and nutrients.
Maple Syrup
Maple syrup is the iconic syrup commonly used as a topping for pancakes. It is delicious and sweet and a completely natural product.
Maple syrup is made by using the same Maple water as I mentioned above. The maple water is tapped from the trees by the gallon, then the water is boiled until water evaporates and the maple syrup is the right consistency.
The most common trees that are tapped to make maple syrup are sugar maple, red maple, and black maple trees.
Woodworking
The wood from the maple tree is used for many types of woodworking. It can be used for flooring, finer woodworking, tables, chairs, instruments, tables, beds and so much more. Maple is one of the most plentiful tree species which makes it a great tree to harvest for woodworking. It is also one of the cheaper hardwoods you can buy.
The wood from the maple tree has a creamy white color which is very pleasant to look at and often gives of neutral look. The neutral look of maple makes it suitable to use for most woodworking projects.
Sports Equipment
Maple is one of the most common woods to use for making bats. Maple is a fairly dense wood and can handle a good amount of shock on hit, the wood is also fairly flexible. This makes for long-lasting bats that give off a good “pop” when hitting the ball.
And since North America has such a strong collection of maple trees growing throughout the continent, maple bats can be sold at a fair price.
Hardwood Flooring
Maple is one of the more popular woods to use as hardwood flooring. It is also one of the cheaper hardwoods to use as hardwood flooring.
The light creamy color of maple gives rooms that have maple flooring, a light and refreshing feeling to them.
Maple is a dense wood and is one of the most durable hardwood floors one can have in the home. Maple hardwood flooring can literally last for generations.
Smoking Meat
Smoking is the process of cooking meats over a fire, the meat is exposed to a high amount of smoke from the burning of the wood, the gives more flavor and aroma to the meat.
Maple is also a favorite wood amongst many for smoking meat. The slight sweetness of the wood makes it a good choice for smoking almost anything. An amazing type of meat to smoke with maple is turkey meat.
Most species of maple can be used to smoke meat.
Helicopter Seeds
The Maple tree produces some fun helicopter toys that are great for both adults and kids.
The seeds of the maple tree kind of look like the rotor of a helicopter as you can see on the image above. If you break the seeds into single units and throw them up into the air they will start spinning and flying like a helicopter. You can also drop them from a height.
If you out walking with kids, definitely show them this helicopter trick, they will love it.
The helicopter seeds work the best in the fall when they have dried out, contain less moisture, and are lighter.
Food For Humans
These helicopter seeds can also be eaten by us humans. But they are mostly used as survival food for people that are into bushcraft and survivalism.
To eat the seeds you have to remove the wing part of the seed. And inside the fat little lumpy end of the seed, you will find a small little seed inside that you can eat.
As winter comes the seeds get more and more bitter in taste. Summer seeds and smaller seeds are the best for taste.
These seeds contain proteins, some good calories, and most likely some fatty acids.
Food For Animals
Helicopter seeds are also beloved by some wild animals. Now, they are not like acorns in the animal world, which most wild animals are crazy about.
Animals like turkeys, finches, chipmunks, and squirrels like to snack on these maple seeds once in a while.
As A Symbol For An Entire Country
The maple leaf is literally a symbol for an entire country. The maple leaf is the most pronounced feature of the Canadian flag. The maple leaf is possibly the most widely recognized leaf there is.
The maple leaf and the maple tree signify the culture, the people, and the land Canada is placed upon. The maple tree has played a large role in shaping the Canada we know and love today.
The maple leaf is important for the identity of Canada as a country and its inhabitants.
Whiskey
How about that, the maple tree can also be made into liquid gold. Maple whiskey is a wonderful drink with a lovely soothing aroma and taste.
Maple whiskey is the perfect drink to warm yourself up with on those cold stormy and cold days in the fall.
Musical Instruments
Maple wood is classified as a tonewood. This means that it carried out the vibrations of sound very well. Therefore maple is a good wood to use for musical instruments like guitars, violins, pianos, and so on.
Support For Honeybees
Many maples species blooms earlier in the spring compared to many other species of tree. This gives honeybees access to pollen and nectar earlier than they otherwise would and increases the season for the honeybees so they can be more productive.
Red Maple trees are especially useful for early blooming and for honeybees.
Check Out The Uses Of Other Tree Species
Uses Of The Maple Tree: Click To See Article
Uses Of The Pine Tree: Click To See Article
Uses Of Spruce: Click To See Article
Uses Of The Birch Tree: Click To See Article
Uses Of The Beech Tree: Click To See Article
Uses Of The Hickory Tree: Click To See Article
Uses Of The Poplar Tree: Click To See Article
