How about other trees in the same height category: paperbark maple Acer griseum corkscrew willow 'twisty baby' locust Redbud.....maybe a great native choice for you!!! or slower growing trees with outstanding foliage like some beech cultivars... 'roseomarginata' or some wonderful conifers that put on unbelievable spring shows like: Pinus contorta 'taylors sunburst' 3-4 WEEKS!!!of yellow new growth. See Photo. I could go on forever... red leaf japanese maple...bloodgood, atropurpureum, emperor(supposed to be the hardiest of all, emperor I or II) the debate with crabapples will always be...ARE THE WONDERFUL FLOWERS WORTH THE TROUBLE OF THE UNATTRACTIVE DISEASE RIDDEN FOLIAGE...AND IS ANYTHING WORTH SPRAYING IN MY GARDEN TO CONTROL DISEASE?...my honest opinion, there's plenty of wonderful plants that have outstanding characteristics that NEVER need to be sprayed. Blacklab Here is a link that might be useful:

Notes, I don't know where you are located, but for true Sugar Maples, I have done research on a couple of cultivars that I have seen locally as I was looking for faster growing sugar maples. I found a few things of interest in the patent for each cultivar. From the patents I found that Green Mountain, Legacy, Fall Fiesta (Bailsta), and Commemoration all can be expected to grow faster than the species. From what I can summarize slowest to fastest is as follows. Standard SpeciesThe Commemoration has about the most intense green coloration I have seen in Sugar Maple, and the leaves are exceptionally thick. It grew less than 12" this year, but is a larger tree that was planted late spring last years, and suffered some leaf scorch during the early peak heat (~100F) of summer last year, and did not color much last fall as I expected having leaf damage, and a new transplant. However this year the trunk caliper has increased remarkable (it is know for this), and the tree looks great apart from SOME mild Japanese Beetle damage. The patent application stated that trees were 35' after 10 years for the patent holder. It also stated fall color was yellow to bright orange (I have seen this stated from a particular grower elsewhere that had a photo), and this has been backed up by photos that I have been able to find. The color I did see last year, was a yellow, and bright orange. I don't remember the original seed source off the top of my head. I'll look it up again in the patent when I have time. For Fall Fiesta (Bailsta), our tree grew 10"-18" this spring. It is a smaller tree that was planted last fall and had better time of it all the way around. It is not a dark green, nor are the leaves as thick, though they are thicker than the species. The leaves also are exactly the classic sugar maple shape, though it is still clearing a sugar maple. The tree was in fall color when we bought it last year, and was dominated by orange to orange-red, and IMHO very nice. However note that last fall was a "red year", in that there seemed to be far more red than usually, with some oaks being by far the reddest I have ever seen, and rivaling locally even sugar, red sunset, autumn blaze/fantasy maple (extremely rare here). To date it has show no stress from summer weather, and I could not be more happy with it. It seems to be less of a beetle lunch as well. The patent application stated the parent tree was 25' at 10 years of age, and gave comparisons of percent of trees at a caliper at a particular age, in comparison to the species type, and green mountain, to which it was much superior to both. This cultivar also originates from Minnesota seed source, and so probable best planted from my location northward. I do not have first hand experience with Legacy or Green Mountain, so can not give you particulars. Both are planted locally, with Green Mountain seeming being the most common locally of the four mentioned above, and does seem to do very well here, and has pretty consistent fall color locally. Both are beautiful trees that I highly recommend in a suitable climate, which I am located at the north edge of the southern sugar maple, and southwest edge of the species sugar maple (there are hills covered with these trees nearby and are extremely impressive in fall). Both had growth spurts where short grew up to 1"/day for a few days. Also the Fall Fiesta started growing about 2 weeks later, though this may change with acclimation to the local climate. If you are warmer and/or drier than my location, then Legacy or one of the other mentioned would probable be a better choice. For comparison sake, my local climate avers 46" rain annually, spread throughout the year. Average max high of 90-91 for about 4 weeks a year, with average highs in the 40's for about twice that length a year. However you might consider the Shantung Maple. It reportedly turns mostly yellow in fall, grows fast, strong wooded, climate/soil tolerant (would grow most anywhere a Sugar Maple would), but is not as large a tree. Or perhaps you would prefer natives. Hope this is some use to you. Arktrees

Interesting, the publication by Wright also shows hybrids with Acer platanoides (Norway maple) and Acer negundo (Boxelder maple), as well as Acer saccharinum (Silver maple) and Acer negundo (Boxelder maple). It would be interesting to see such a study replicated, and for a full growth cycle for the hybrids to take place. I live in Utah, and the native Acer grandidentatum (Bigtooth maple, close sugar maple relative) flowers at the same time as the invasive non-native Norway maple in our foothills at about 4,500 ft. Sometimes bees cross-polinate them, I'm sure of it when both trees grow near. Bees still prefer the Norway maple for its showy and nectar rich flowers. Both insects and wind pollinate them, but mostly wind because sometimes it is too cold for bees to work. I have grown some potential hybrids between the Norway and Bigtooth maple, from a Bigtooth maple 'female' tree, and the seedlings were weak, waxy/glossy, and lime green possibly from iron chlorosis. None of those made it after a week...

Thanks mntg! That's nice to know. I just happened to run across one of my friends that particular day and he offered that we go over to his dads old place and look for a tree. The larger trees were starting to turn colors but the smaller ones, under that canopy, weren't. I realized by the way the leaves wilted a few days after transplanting, without any color change, that I possibly could lose this tree. Then because I had trouble with some of my other trees getting planted too deep, I disturbed this one again last spring by raising it a few inches in the hole. That starch testing is interesting. I've read that sugars can also be tested for sugar content of the sap so you can know how good of a syrup maker it will be. But this tree is just for a specimen in my back yard so nbd. There was no sign of any new buds coming onto this tree after the spring buds leafed out. Makes me wonder if Sugar maples make their buds in the fall for the following year. I read some scientific explanation of how certain trees decide the year before, how much they will grow the following year but can't remember what it's called right now. There were some of the buds that swelled and then withered, like the tree decided what it could support and what it couldn't. I didn't fertilize it at all until early summer, thinking I could coax extra leaves to flush but not a sign of an extra bud or any further growth. Your winter last season sound similar to what we had around Wadena. A fair amount of snow that disappeared by January. One thing is for certain, this has been one tough tree. :-) The leaves are leathery and dark green. Hopefully it's all down hill from here. Now if a squirrel with a sweet tooth doesn't take a liking to it, it should be okay. Edit: I have a silty sand soil btw.