Editing Acer rubrum (section)

== Other uses ==
[[File:Maple syrup.jpg|thumb|right|upright=0.5|Red maple may be used for [[maple syrup|syrup]], but its short harvest season reduces its commercial viability]]
In the lumber industry ''Acer rubrum'' is considered a "soft maple", a designation it shares, commercially, with silver maple (''A. saccharinum''). In this context, the term "soft" is more comparative, than descriptive; i.e., "soft maple", while softer than its harder cousin, sugar maple (''A. saccharum''), is still a fairly hard wood, being comparable to black cherry (''Prunus serotina'') in this regard. Like ''A. saccharum'', the wood of red maple is close-grained, but its texture is softer, less dense, and has not as desirable an appearance, particularly under a clear finish. However, the wood from ''Acer rubrum'' while being typically less expensive than hard maple, also has greater dimensional stability than that of ''A. saccharum'', and also machines and stains easier. Thus, high grades of wood from the red maple can be substituted for hard maple, particularly when it comes to making stain/paint-grade furniture. Red maple lumber also contains a greater percentage of "curly" (aka "flame"/"fiddleback") figure, which is prized by musical instrument/custom furniture makers, as well as the veneer industry. As a soft maple, the wood tends to shrink more during the drying process than with the hard maples.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://gardencenterpoint.com/red-maple/|title=Red Maple (Acer rubrum)|last=|first=|date=|website=GardenCenterPoint|access-date=21 May 2023}}</ref>

Red maple is also used for the production of [[maple syrup]], though the hard maples ''[[Acer saccharum]]'' (sugar maple) and ''[[Acer nigrum]]'' (black maple) are more commonly utilized. One study compared the sap and syrup from the sugar maple with those of the red maple, as well as those of the ''[[Acer saccharinum]]'' (silver maple), ''[[Acer negundo]]'' (boxelder), and ''[[Acer platanoides]]'' (Norway maple), and all were found to be equal in sweetness, flavor, and quality. However, the buds of red maple and other soft maples emerge much earlier in the spring than the sugar maple, and after sprouting chemical makeup of the sap changes, imparting an undesirable flavor to the syrup. This being the case, red maple can only be tapped for syrup before the buds emerge, making the season very short.<ref name="Silvics" />

Native Americans used red maple bark as a wash for inflamed eyes and cataracts, and as a remedy for hives and muscular aches. They also would brew tea from the inner bark to treat coughs and diarrhea. Pioneers made cinnamon-brown and black dyes from a bark extract, and iron sulphate could be added to the tannin from red maple bark in order to make ink.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://plants.usda.gov/DocumentLibrary/plantguide/pdf/pg_acru.pdf|title=Plant Guide: Red Maple, Acer rubrum L.|last=Nesom|first=Guy|date=24 May 2006|website=United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service|access-date=6 June 2023}}</ref>

Red maple is a medium quality firewood,<ref>{{cite web|title=Heating With Wood: Species Characteristics and Volumes|author=Michael Kuhns and Tom Schmidt|date=n.d.|publisher=UtahState University Cooperative Extension|url=http://extension.usu.edu/forestry/HomeTown/General_HeatingWithWood.htm|access-date=2009-09-02|archive-date=2009-02-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090227045207/http://extension.usu.edu/forestry/HomeTown/General_HeatingWithWood.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> possessing less heat energy, nominally {{convert|18.7|e6Btu/cord|GJ/m3|lk=on|abbr=off|order=flip}} , 
than other hardwoods such as ash: {{convert|24|e6Btu/cord|GJ/m3|abbr=in|order=flip}}, oak: {{convert|24|e6Btu/cord|GJ/m3|abbr=in|order=flip}}, or birch: {{convert|21|e6Btu/cord|GJ/m3|abbr=in|order=flip}}.