Bark removal and taphole closure with arc-barb spouts
The Arc-Barb Spout (UVM Patent Pending) is designed with a shortened barrel to allow improved sap flow from the shallower, more productive sapwood zones in maple stems.
Author: Bosley, Wade
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Spout colors can affect sap temp at the taphole
We reported in a previous article (Does Color Matter?, The Maple News June/July 2018) that color influences the degree of solar warming of spouts during sunny, windless days and can impact sap yields.
Innovations in Maple Sap Collection Systems: Reducing Clogging in 3/16” Tubing
Natural vacuum created in3/16” tubing has been a boon for many maple producers in stands where sufficient grade allows it to function properly. The column of sap moving downhill in 3/16” tubing doesn’t readily allow air bubbles to pass, but rather pushes them out of the system, creating a vacuum (Wilmot 2014, Perkins and van den Berg 2018). Unfortunately, several years of use have demonstrated that 3/16” tubing systems can be prone to clogging by microbial masses (Wilmot 2018, Perkins and vanden Berg 2019), especially at fittings (Childs 2019) where the internal diameter is greatly reduced.
A 20-Year Record of Syrup Production at UVM Proctor Maple Research Center from 2004-2023
he University of Vermont (UVM) Proctor Maple Research Center (PMRC) in Underhill, Vermont, has along history of research on sap production. Maple syrup has been made at PMRC since shortly after its
founding in 1946, in part for research and in part for demonstration. Syrup production has always been an important component of the work of PMRC as it keeps the faculty and staff aware of the issues involved in sap collection and syrup production, it provides more of a “buy in” from producers when they understand that we face the same hurdles as they do each season, and the revenue gained from the sale of maple syrup helps to fund the operation.
Cost of hitting stained wood when tapping
Avoiding tapping near previous tapholes is a common practice in maple production. This is because previous wounds create a zone of stained wood that extends slightly wider and deeper than the taphole, but extends upwards and downwards, often reaching 6-12 inches in length in each direction, affecting a volume of wood approximately 50 times (range of 15-150X) larger than the volume of the taphole (vanden Berg et al. 2023).
Innovations in Maple Sap Collection Systems: Increasing Yield in 5/16” Lateral Line Tubing
Ongoing research at the University of Vermont Proctor Maple Research Center over the past thirteen years has examined a variety of approaches to increases yield from 5/16” maple tubing systems on vacuum.
Innovations in Maple Sap Collection Systems: Spouts
Maple sap tubing collection systems have undergone continuous evolution since being introduced. Over the past several decades, spouts in particular have changed considerably, with a marked shift towards smaller (1/4”, 19/64”, or 5/16”) spouts, developed and introduced by CDL.
Total Yields From Red Maples
Many producers include red maples as crop trees without a second thought. And still many others will walk past red maples with a roll of tubing. Why the difference? Much of it arises from some lingering perceptions about red maples – that they produce lower yields or stop running earlier than sugar maples, or produce syrup with inferior flavor or that exhibits buddy flavor earlier than sugar maple.
Yields from Early Tapping and Taphole “Rejuvenation” Strategies
Because the impacts on yields of early tapping strategies, with or without subsequent rejuvenation, are likely to be affected by weather conditions which can vary widely from year to year, controlled experiments over multiple years are required in order to more fully assess whether any of these strategies result in greater yields than tapholes made during the standard spring sap flow period, or whether any increases in yield would be sufficient to compensate for the increased costs associated with implementing them. Thus, we conducted a multi-year, controlled experiment to assess the yields of several early tapping strategies, with and without subsequent rejuvenation, relative to the yields of standard spring tapholes.
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Open in new tab Timing of Spout and Dropline Deployment Has No Effect on Sap Yield
This aim of this project was to determine whether early spout and dropline deployment before tapping could be used while maintaining good sanitation levels and high sap yields.