Red Maple - 100 Most Common North American Trees

"The outstanding ornamental characteristic of Red Maple is red, orange or yellow fall color (sometimes on the same tree) lasting several weeks. Red maple is often one of the first trees to color up in autumn, and it puts on one of the most brilliant displays of any tree but trees vary greatly in fall color and intensity. Cultivars are more consistently colored.
Acer rubrum is well-suited as a street tree in northern and mid-south climates in residential and other suburban areas but the bark is thin and easily damaged by mowers. Irrigation is often needed to support street tree plantings in well-drained soil in the south. Roots can raise sidewalks as silver maples can but they have a less aggressive root system and so they make a good street tree. Surface roots beneath the canopy can make mowing difficult.
Red Maple is easily transplanted and usually develops surface roots in soil ranging from well-drained sand to clay. It is not especially drought tolerant, particularly in the southern part of the range, but selected individual trees can be found growing on dry sites. Branches often grow upright through the crown forming poor attachments to the trunk. These should be removed in the landscape to help prevent branch failure in older trees during storms." - From Fact Sheet on Red Maple - USDA Forest Service

Consider Planting Red Maple
How to Manage Red Maple