Dietary
The fruits are edible, preferably cooked.
Ecological
Its vernacular name "moosewood" come from the fact that the non-woody leaf buds and flowers buds, which come in autumn and persist until spring and are an important source of food for moose in winter.
The Striped maple (Acer pensylvanicum) also goes by the vernacular name of "moosewood" and for the same reasons.