BOTANICAL NAME: Acer saccharum

OTHER COMMON NAMES: Hard Maple, White Maple, Sugar Maple and Black Maple (Acer nigrum), have very similar properties and appearance to Rock Maple and are commonly sold under the name of Rock Maple.

TREE DESCRIPTION: Rock Maple is a medium to large non rainforest hardwood of North cast America and Canada. It can reach heights of up to 40m (132ft) and diameters of up to 0.6 1m (2 3ft). Large sections of this timber are obtainable in long lengths. The sap of this tree is the source of Maple syrup.

COLOUR: The heartwood is creamy white, sometimes with a reddish tinge. The sapwood is wide, generally of the same colour and not clearly defined from the heartwood. Older and larger trees sometimes have a dark brown heart.

GRAIN AND TEXTURE: The grain is generally straight though sometimes wavy, producing wood with a fiddle back figure. It has a naturally high lustre. The texture is very fine and uniform. ‘Birdseye’ figure is present in some trees.