The seeds of silver maple are the largest of any native maple, and are a food source for variety of birds and small mammals, including evening grosbeaks, finches, wild turkeys, ducks, squirrels, and chipmunks. The large, rounded seeds are also eaten by squirrels during early spring - when other food sources are sparse.

Deer and rabbits browse on the foliage, and the bark is sometimes consumed by beavers. The tendency for silver maples to develop trunk cavities leads them to be a common shelter and breeding site for a variety of birds and mammals.