Maple has a shorter life cycle than most trees and that's part of the problem and the high density of the wood is another part of the problem. The density means that maples bend and sway in the wind a lot less than something like a pine or cedar. If something can't bend then it's going to break. The density also means that the branches are a lot heavier and maples like to spread out. Heavy branches that don't bend well means a higher risk of dropping branches.

A common alternative name for standard white maple is rock maple because it's hard as a rock and it was a common wood for furniture making because it's extremely dent resistant and can stand up to a lot of abuse. Next time you're at a hardwood store pick up a piece of maple and a piece of pine. Feel the weight difference and try to cut both of them.

A lot of maples are very brittle