Think about your uses and the future root conditions. Most maples are going to have surface roots that will be on the surface a few years down the road. So, if a smooth walking surface is desired, use something else.

Most maples don't like damp/wet soil. Have you asked for some advice at the tree forum?

Several maples thrive in wet- platanoides, rubrum, and saccharinum are the varieties I chose- fast and can tolerate the local conditions.

Still hoping for a design idea- aside from about 40' apart (for the permanant trees) I can't decide what sort of formation would work best.
Thanks again.

I would go for the triangulation. Or the rows, if you like it better.

Jo: Is some of the forum humor wearing off on you? (I have to assume there was some level of sarcasm in your post)

slinger: If you are going for a natural campground type of effect I am not sure rows or triangles really fit the bill. What if you took a bucket of tennis balls, tossed them around the area, and planted a tree where each ball landed? I don't know about your growing conditions, but I would suggest adding in some slower growing trees and maybe some evergreens as well.

- Brent

As we are told that this is a design issue can I be so bold as to ask what time frame is envisioned "just FAST growing trees that enjoy damp/wet soil." doesn't cover it for me. Are we talking about 20 years, 5 years or instantly? The next question is about budget as you can buy mature trees and arrange them how you want at a price.

Thanks!
The budget is low, so I do plan to have "rapid" growers throughout so that shade will come asap. By asap, I understand nothing is instant- but some shade in 5 years would be wonderful- so long as they go in this year.

I think that in 15-20 years the quality trees should be well grown enough to provide shade. The rapid growers would likely all be removed at or even before that.

Still trying to picture a good layout- you see diagrams to block wind, to block noise- but shade is just way too basic- maybe I'm making things more difficult than need be.

I've done some reforesting in my life so, here are
some reasonably fast growing shade trees for your area:

Pin Oak
Tulip tree
Red maple
Silver Maple
Dogwood
Crab apple or regular apples(get a full sized variety, not a dwarf) These attract wasps unless you keep the dropped apples picked up. Smell great in spring and nice if you want to use the apples. Otherwise, get a tree with the small little crab apples, these look awesome in the fall and birds love them.
Cherry
White pine
Honey locust
Willows: some love them, most hate them
Birches

Don't put the campfire pit close to the trees, sparks can fly up into the branches and catch fire.

Still, unless you buy big trees, we are talking ten years at least.

Thanks for the list! I hadn't thought of pin oak, locust or dogwood.

White pine- what is the latin name? I see several similar but no exact 'white'.
Thanks again.

If the area is wet, the following trees will grow well: sycamore, cypress, dawn redwood, red maples (many cultivars). I have a similar situation and have planted blue spruce to provide more impact in the winter. I would place the trees in an irregular pattern, and leave lots of space between them or you will have a dense thicket. You might plant several of one species to tie the whole thing together. A thought: landscape design should give more consideration to larger landscapes (3 or more acres). Its hard to find much information in this area.

Pinus Strobus is the Eastern White Pine. Then you've got P. Mugo (Mugo), P. Nigra (Austrian Pine), P. Resinosa (Red Pine), P. Sylvestris (Scots Pine), and P. Banksiana (Jack Pine)...

Pinus strobus is white pine. This one can stand a little bit of wet feet. Most conifers do not like wet soil, their roots will grow shallow along the surface of the soil, being a pain, and also making them susceptible to getting tipped over in a high wind storm. Exceptions for your zone are hemlock, white cedar (arborvitae) and tamarack/american larch. Cedar and larch don't make good shade trees although I think both are gorgeous. Hemlocks do eventually, if you trim the bottom branches, but they are slow growers. That's why I recommended white pine. I worked at a camp that used it extensively for reforesting, and it eventually makes a nice shade tree if grown out in the open. Doesn't like wet soil, but is tolerant and hardy of both wet and dry, and shade.

There are other trees, but I'm partial to natives. You could grow cottonwood or other poplars, but a lot of folks don't like the fuzzy seeds they produce. Maybe you could get some seedless ones, but I don't see this tree often in local nurseries. Most fast growing poplars die fast too, so they might be good to plant quick until the other stuff gets going and then use as firewood. Ash is also a good fast growing tree, but they are having problems with european ash borer so I'd be a little cautious on that one. American elm was once a preferred tree for this kind of application, but dutch elm disease did it in. I've heard there are resistant varieties out there, depends on how adventurous/experimental you want to get.