Maple

Maple is a hard timber prized for its light colour, high strength and shock resisting properties. As well as providing a durable timber for a diversity of applications, the grain can take on incredible figured patterns, such as bird’s-eye and quilted. Such samples are highly sought after and can fetch a high price.

The heartwood is darker in colour and not as desirable as the sapwood. Neither are durable outdoors, and so mainly used for interior projects, woodwork and paper pulp.

There are two main groups of maple: hard and soft. The hard variety – known as hard maple, sugar maple, rock maple – is the most valuable commercial timber sought after for construction and woodworking projects. It is the arboreal emblem of Canada and a maple leaf adorns the national flag. Most species of maple produce sap used to make sugar. The sweetest and most notable commercial production of maple syrup comes from the sugar maple. Soft varieties grow faster, but are less strong, hard and dense. They are less expensive and utilised in firewood, paper making pallets and other industrial applications.