Norway Maples are Invasive Trees in Ohio

PLEASE DON'T PLANT NORWAY MAPLE TREES!

My neighbor and I both have invasive Norway Maple (Acer Platanoides) trees. Although these large, beautiful trees shouldn’t be cut down simply because they’ve been here so long —-they offer no sustenance.

Once they take hold in our forests— and they are - they cause serious trouble for our native ecosystems. They are squeezing out our native Sugar Maples which will not only affect the maple industry, it directly hurts our butterfly and moth populations as Sugar Maples host trees. These trees also reduce the UNDERSTORY growth native plants, shrubs and trees. Think of the impact of additional destroyed understory--the food chain removed for many insects, mammals and other critters below these trees!

Their status as listed in 2016 by the Ohio Invasive Plant council — ‘Potentially invasive’ allows them to be sold. Avoid buying them at the nurseries. Most nurseries aren’t selling native trees. They are either non-native, cultivars and/or hybrids. They don’t offer the benefits of native trees.
🙁 Sigh.

Once the native century old Silver Maple (which was a larval host tree) was cut down behind me— leaving only my non-native Norway Maple as the only remaining Maple tree— I understood the damage done to my ecosystem here and immediately planted 5 native trees- all larval host trees to replace the larval food source that was removed with the loss of the Silver Maple.

Please plant natives. Pollinators depend on them.