Tag: Tapping

Showing 91 – 100 of 134 resources

Growth Rates of Sugar Maple Trees Tapped for Maple Syrup Production Using High-Yield Sap Collection Practices

The amount of sap that can be extracted annually from trees for maple syrup production using current equipment and practices is more than double the typical yields achievable when current maple industry tapping guidelines were developed. The growth rates of trees tapped with these Òhigh-yieldÓ practices at 18 sites in Vermont were measured and evaluated to determine whether they were sufficient for the replenishment of conductive wood to remain at sustainable levels when current tapping guidelines are followed.

Publication:
Forest Science
Date:
February 1, 2016

2014 -15 Maple Tubing Research

In 2014 and 2015 the focus of the tubing and taphole sanitation research changed dramatically. Tests conducted in 2013 showed that if the spout and drop line were adequately sanitized sap yield comparable to a new spout and drop could be obtained. With the assistance of a grant from the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Extension program of the USDA and in cooperation with the Proctor Maple Research Center in Vermont, a variety of spout and drop cleaning and replacement options were tested to determine the extent of sap yield changes.

Date:
June 11, 2015

Choose wisely when selecting where to tap

Knowing when, where, and how to tap is critical to making good maple syrup and keeping trees healthy.

Publication:
Farming, the Journal of Northeast Agriculture
Date:
January 1, 2015

The 3/16 phenomenon

Using smaller-diameter tubing can create a natural vacuum which can increase sap production. This article details some research into this method of sap collection, and offers tips on some practical applications.

Publication:
Maple News
Date:
December 1, 2014

A Mathematical Model for Maple Sap Exudation

Sap exudation refers to the process whereby sugar maple trees (Acer saccharum) are capable of generating significant stem pressure in a leafless state, something that occurs to a lesser extent in only a few other related species such as birch and walnut. This exudation pressure is what causes maple sap to flow from a taphole in sufficient quantities to be harvested and processed into syrup. Exudation has been studied for well over 100 years and has been the subject of many scientific studies, but there is as yet no definitive explanation for how such large pressures can be generated in the absence of transpiration (i.e., when no photosynthesis occurs to drive the flow of sap).

Publication:
Maple Syrup Digest
Date:
December 1, 2014

Does sugar removal impact trees? A complex question to answer.

Two main issues relate to the sustainability of maple sugaring; tree wounding and sugar removal. In other words, does a tapped maple tree grow more wood than is compartmentalized (functionally “removed by the tree’s normal wound response process) each year and/or does sap collection take more sugar from the tree than can be readily replaced through photosynthesis? These two issues, although separate in some respects, are inextricably intertwined.

Publication:
Maple Syrup Digest
Date:
October 1, 2014

Sap Now or Sawlogs Later

Tapping trees has an impact on the value of those trees’ logs for lumber.

Publication:
Farming, the Journal of Northeast Agriculture
Date:
October 1, 2014