Definitely not!

Silver, freeman, red and norway maples are no good for growing a lawn under. Sugar maple are better than those as far as surface roots go.

I disagree with gardninggrandma on her assertion red maples (acer rubrum) are no good for growing a lawn under. They make lovely landscape specimens.

I took my two 'Franksred' out when they began to dominate the ground beneath them, well before anything like full size was achieved.

With maples the key point is how big they are. Smaller growing species like Japanese are more cooperative because they are smaller in size. Any big-leaf, Freeman, Norway, red, silver or sugar etc. maple can be expected to suppress plantings beneath it once they start to amount to something. In my area, which turns quite dry in July, more or less stays that way until fall rather small Norway maples often have very little beneath them in many situations.

The Keith Warren hybrids are half Norway maple, described as intermediate in size between the parent species (A.L. Jacobson calls them hybrid Norway maples, implying a greater similarity to that species). Quantities have been planted on local streets, despite propagules displaying a low, poky, thrusting branching that seems to me just about the worst for streets. I planted one on a berm between a pond and a road and soon had tot strip much of the one side of branches due to them going right out into the space above the road.

I do like their foliage, and apparent ease of cultivation, but I do not see them as small trees fitting easily into places where space is limited.

If you look at Japanese garden, you'd see many Japanese maples plus maybe Trident, Paperbark, Korean, Shantung and a few others where a lot of azaleas are growing underneath them.

http://www.metromaples.com/metro_maples_arboretum.htm

I have shantung maples everywhere in the lawn. The largest is 15 or so. I don't see anything negative from its roots and it's not like they are going to get huge.

Thanks for the responses, I don't think the potential inability to grow a lawn will stop me from planting it. As far as Japanese Maples go, I really like them, but I am lookg for something larger right now. I'll have a great place for a Japanese, but that will be a few more years into the plan.

As for now I will have to figure out which species to pick.

Thanks Again.