Native Trees of Prince Edward Island
Red Maple (Acer rubrum)

Red Maple is common throughtout the province. It does attain a height of 70 feet and a diameter of 2 to 3 feet on deep moist soils but more rarely it is much smaller. The trunk is long and straight in the forest, short and commonly divided into secondary stems in the open. The main branches are ascending, the smaller branches and twigs spread out and tend to turn up slightly at the ends.

red maple leaf

It is mostly found on rich moist lands and along the borders of streams and swamps. It is found in pure stands but more often in mixtures of other hardwoods and softwoods.

"Native Trees of Prince Edward Island and the more Common Woodland Shrubs". by J.F. Gaudet and W.M. Profitt Dept. of Agriculture. Charlottetown, PEI. 1958.

red maple leaf in fall

For more pictures and descriptions of this species, check out Atlantic Forestry Centre, and the Dendrology at Virginia Tech page, or the The natural history of the northwoods. For a through review of the ecology, refer to the Silvics of North America

In 1806, John Stewart wrote an excellent description of Forest Trees and Other Vegetable Productions on PEI at that time.

Red maple typical tree form.

Red maple leaf.

Red maple twig.

P.E.I. Forest Policy Notes:

Read more here.

We offer a number of workshops and guided tours at the Macphail Woods and it is an excellent opportunity to learn more about the native trees of Prince Edward Island. Check out the Events Calendar for more information. Web development and maintenance by Chris Martin.

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