Very young maple seeds okay in compost or not?

Every other year (or is it every third), my Norway maple, the gardener's nightmare, produces a bumper crop of seeds, lots of which fall to the ground in May and have to be raked up--I'm going to have to do it shortly. I would think there is no chance that these are mature enough to possibly germinate, but not being sure, have never added them to my compost, and won't until I know there is NO chance that at this stage of development they could possibly turn into more little Norway maples. (It probably is perfectly obvious to anyone who's had botany 101, but I haven't). Otherwise, given the small size etc. they look like they might be a great thing to add to the compost, and would give the maple a chance to redeem itself (in terms of trying to grow anything besides concrete under it--it does provide wonderful shade).

Thanks to anyone who can help.

When the wings flutter to the ground they will germinate at the rate of maybe two or three out of a hundred where the settle down. Since landing in a desirable spot is strictly by chance not many germinate but...............every last one of them could.

The highest rate of germination takes place when they settle into my bark mulch with the seed pointed down. I likely pull several hundred that I see the moment they can be seen. That's the first year. The second year the infant tree can be a foot and a half tall and supported by a little finger sized trunk. The ones I miss are usually right in the middle of a rose bush or some other ugly place to go in and pull it.

Based on my present observation there must be thirty or forty per every square foot of my property. I do not even try to clean the suckers up. We use a leaf blower to blow them out of spoutings and off the roof. We blow them off the patio into mulched undercover of the shrubs or into the grass where they do not blow around.

Yes they all can germinate. Unless you have a very hot compost pile I do not think I would put them there.....or if I did they would have to be right in the center so the heat would kill them.

Thanks, docgipe. I know all too well about the potential fertility of the wings, as we've pulled hundreds and hundreds of 8 inch second-year seedlings out of the thin parts of the pachysandra beds, but associate that more with the wings that fall--flutter down, I mean--when they've dried on the tree itself first, not these immature-appearing little rosy-red ones. But, again, if there is any chance they are fertile, they won't go into my composter. Appreciate your help!

Maple trees have a two to four week winged seed release schedule. That is natures way of sustaining the species. Most seed are good for several years. In most instances the tree calculates that there will be no germination in time for killing frost.