sugar maple blotch

[cheyenne]

hello all; i have 75acres with a huge amount of sugar maples & all the other hardwoods & softwoods. i have noticed that in certain sections of my property that a lot of the maples have a black blotching on the bark large and small trees alike. can anyone tell me what this is and will it spread through the entire property. i'm in the northern adirondack park. thank you cheyenne

[SwampDonkey]

Could it be a lichen? They just use the bark as a place to attach and don't impact the tree. Pictures?

Sugar maple in my area have white blotches all over it, more prominent in smooth barked trees. This is actually part of the bark.

[Ron Scott]

How do the leaves look?? Yes, a picture would certainly help or contact your local extension service for a look at them.