ANN ARBOR, Mich. – A Michigan city has a message for its residents: There’s nothing sweet about tapping publicly owned trees for maple sap. As the weather gets warmer, Ann Arbor is warning people not to poke trees in parks or along streets. "When we find this equipment, staff will remove it,” city spokesman Robert Kellar told MLive.com. “Tapping causes damage to these trees, which already face challenges, and leave them susceptible to insects and disease.”It's OK for an Ann Arbor resident to tap a maple on their own property, the city said. Ann Arbor says a 16-inch-diameter sugar maple at a home provides $149 in benefits each year, especially in energy savings.

Sugar maples have dark gray bark with furrowed ridges, not as easily identifiable compared to other Michigan tree species. More on Sugar maples here from the Michigan DNRBeechIn southern Michigan, American beech trees grow in beech-maple forests. It is an ashy gray color and, compared to some Michigan species, is easier to identify due to its blocky bark. When comparing the white oak leaf to the red oak, it is easy to tell the difference because the red oak has pointed leaf tips. Jack pine needles are much shorter than red pine needles at a length of to 2 long.