what is the type of maple considered hard maple?

[waynebergman]

what is the name of the maple tree considered hard maple? I have read that soft maple is not even going to burn as hot as douglas fir. I am shopping now for firewood and if I go to the trouble of getting maple I understand hard maple is what I want, but what is hard maple. Hard Maple will burn twenty percent or so hotter than soft but I need to know the proper name of the maple tree if want to make sure I am getting the right stuff. I live in British Columbia Canada I am not even sure if we have hard maple here.
I also have access to a little bit of arbutus. ...wayne

[sarah h]

Here are the common North American maples, both hard and soft.
The Latin name is first, followed by its most common name, then a list of other names that are sometimes heard.
Hope this helps.

Hard Maples
Acer barbatum - Florida maple: hammock maple, southern sugar maple, sugar maple
Acer circinatum - vine maple: mountain maple
Acer grandidentatum - canyon maple: bigtooth maple, hard maple, large-toothed maple, sugar maple, ultravioletalde bigtooth maple, western sugar maple
Acer leucoderme - chalk maple: palebark maple, sugar maple, whitebark maple
Acer macrophyllum - bigleaf maple: big-leaf, broadleaf maple, broadleaved maple, bugleaf maple, Californian maple, Oregon maple, pacific maple, white maple
Acer negundo - boxelder: ash maple, ashleaf maple, black ash, boxelder maple, California boxelder, cut-leaved maple, inland boxelder, manitoba maple, negundo maple, red river maple, stinking ash, sugar ash, three-leaved maple, western boxelder
Acer nigrum - black maple: black sugar maple, hard maple, rock maple, sugar maple, white maple
Acer pennsylvaticum - striped maple: buckwood, goose-foot maple, moosewood, mountain alder, northern maple, Pennsylvanian maple, striped dogwood, whistlewood
Acer saccharum - sugar maple: bird's-eye maple, black maple, curly maple, hard maple, rock maple, rough maple, sugar-tree, sweet maple, thumb-nail maple
Acer spicatum - mountain maple: goose-foot maple, low maple, moose maple, mountain maple-bush, spiked maple, water maple

Soft Maples
Acer glabrum - rocky mountain maple: bark maple, California mountain maple, Douglas maple, dwarf maple, mountain maple, New Mexico maple, shrubby maple, sierra maple, soft maple
Acer rubrum - red maple: Carolina red maple, drummond maple, drummond red maple, Oregon maple, scarlet maple, shoe-peg maple, silver maple, soft maple, southern soft maple, swamp maple, three-pointed-leaf maple, three-toothed red maple, water maple, white maple
Acer saccharinum - silver maple: creek maple, papascowood, river maple, silverleaf maple, soft maple, swamp maple, water maple, white maple

[waynebergman]

Thanks muchly Sarah. Now I can go shopping for my firewood.....wayne