Sugar maple - Acer Saccharum and Red Maple - Acer Rubrum are good subsitutes. Since sugar maple is the New York state tree you're probably already familiar with that. Note: Red Maples aren't the japanese maples with red leaves you see. Acer Rubrum has green leaves which turn either a very bright yellow, orange or red in the fall. Unless you get a cultivar or pick out your tree in the fall you won't know which color you're getting. We have some large Red Maples in our neighborhood that have the most brilliant red fall color. It looks like they are on fire. They turn this color every fall under a variety of different conditions (dry years - wet years). Acer Rubrum is tolerant of a wide variety of conditions. While it likes wet sites (it's other name is swamp maple) it grows find under normal conditions and can even grow in dry spots.

The NC State website has a nice page that includes a link to a list of cultivars with full descriptions. Since the fall color is highly variable in the unselected species that might be the way to go.

-Helen

Here is a link that might be useful: NC State factsheet - Acer Rubrum

It's funny you should mention native maples as substitutes. In most of the spots where I have been eliminating Norway Maples I have also found native maples nearby. I checked and double-checked and then marked the Norways before I started hacking them. In a cruel twist of fate, we lost a bunch of maples in a bad storm a year or two back but none of the Norways were significantly damaged.

What you plant depends on (1) overall design, (2) what's native to your area and site conditions and (3) what's available.

As to (1), it sounds like you have a woodland. The Beech-Maple Mesic forest is one example (see link) for New York woodland communities. A woodland design generally includes canopy trees, understory trees, high shrubs, low shrubs and herbaceous plants. According to the link, the Beech-Maple canopy includes some combination of Red and Sugar Maples (Acer saccharum and rubrum), American beech (Fagus grandifolia), beeches, red spruce, black cherry (Prunus serotina), white ash, red oak and Eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) as canopy trees. Small trees/shrubs include striped maple (Acer pensylvanicum), witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana) and hobblebush (Viburnum lantanoides), and so on.

Getting rid of the Norway maples on our property was one of the best things we did in clearing the way for the natives. Best of luck,

-- wd

Here is a link that might be useful: Beech-Maple Mesic Forest

Last November I had 2 large 50 year old Norway maples removed. One other Norway was completely topped and a 4th tree was partially topped, then the tree company ran out of time. There is still one absolutely ginormous Acer platanoides left in the yard - and I'm thinking seriously about removing that one too.

My yard has a fair number of canopy trees, so I am enjoying the space and sunlight that has opened up with the removal of the Norway maples. I only plan to plant one new tree, this is because one of the Norways was on the south end of the house and it has left a gap. The rest of the plantings will be understory trees, shrub borders, and gardens where the Norways used to be, consisting mostly of natives.

I don't have advice to add about what to plant, but have made two observations - I've noticed an incredible burst of growth in the herbaceous layer where these trees were removed. Many of these are invasives, including Norway maple seedlings, so it is prudent to have a plan to plant or cover these areas before the trees are removed.

Also, there are lots of roots leftover in the ground. Digging the new gardens has not been fun. I am constantly digging out these tough kinda stringy roots.

But I am loving it that these trees are gone! Below is a link to a thread showing the removal of one of the trees.

Here is a link that might be useful: Removal of a large Norway