How to Tap Maple Trees and Make Maple Syrup
A basic guide to tapping trees, collecting sap, and boiling on a small scale.
Tag: Tapping
Showing 111 – 120 of 121 resources
North American Maple Syrup Producers Manual, 2nd edition
A must have for any serious producer. One of the best books out there that cover all aspects of maple. This book has chapters on History of Maple Syrup and Sugar Production, Maple Resource, Planning an Operation, Managing Maple Trees, Sap Production, Syrup Production, Syrup Filtration, Marketing and many more. With over 300 pages this book is full of wisdom.
North American Maple Syrup Producers Manual (pdf) The maple manual is out of print. It is available instead as a for-sale PDF from Ohio State University Extension. Note that a more recent edition is available on this site here.
New Tapping Guidelines
Here I explain why maple producers should know the growth rate of trees in addition to diameter to determine the number of tapholes per tree.
A History of Taps and Tree Size
The current ‘traditional’ tap hole number guidelines involve adding a tap for each 5 inch dbh above 10 inches dbh. ‘Conservative’ guidelines involve placing one tap in trees 12 inch dbh and a second tap in trees more than 18 inches dbh. The reasons behind the traditional guidelines are not stated in the North American Maple Syrup Producers Manual, but the conservative guidelines are suggested when there is concern for tree health. The purpose of this article is discover where these guidelines came from and to re-establish the reasons why they exist.
Field Evaluation of the Small Diameter Spout for Maple Sap Collection
Beginning in 1999, a newly introduced maple sap spout for use in smaller diameter tapholes was evaluated at Cornell University’s Uihlein Sugar Maple Research/Extension Field Station near Lake Placid, New York. After two sap production seasons, no significant differences were found in sap volume yield and sap sugar concentration in maple sap collected with the small diameter spout compared with that of the conventional sap spouts.
Hobby Maple Syrup Production
A basic guide to tapping trees, collecting sap, and boiling for beginners.
Maple Syrup Production for the Beginner
A basic guide to tapping trees, collecting sap, and boiling for beginners.
Effects Of The Use Of Paraformaldehyde (PFA) Sterilising Pellets On Sugar Maple Health: A Review
Higher and wider discoloration, compartmentalisation and decay in maple wood by the use of the PFA pellet restricts the healthy sapwood areas and diminishes translocation of sap and nutrients. Furthermore, technological advances for better sanitation in sap collection and storage presently in use by the maple industry, tested by research to be safe for maple tree health and syrup quality, have made the use of the PFA pellet unnecessary.
Compartmentalization: A Conceptual Framework for Understanding how Trees Grow and Defend Themselves
The purpose of this chapter is to describe a conceptual framework for understanding how trees grow and how they and other perennial plants defend themselves. The concept of compartmentalization has developed over many years, a synthesis of ideas from a number of investigators. It is founded on observations of trees injured in the field by wind, snow, ice, fire, animals, and insects, as well as during pruning, coppicing, sugaring, and other forest and orchard management practices. It is based on experimental studies of natural and artificial wounds with and without controlled inoculations with selected pathogenic and saprophytic microorganisms.
Tapholes in Sugar Maples: What Happens in the Tree
Maple syrup production starts by drilling a taphole in the tree. This process injures the wood, which may become discolored or decayed as a result. If trees are to be tapped, every effort must be made to minimize injury while obtaining the desired amount of sap. Information about tapholes is given here for the benefit of the producer. Some important points discussed are: how trees compartmentalize discolored and decayed wood associated with tapholes, how some tapping procedures lead to cambial dieback around the hole, the problem of overtapping related to increased use of mechanical tappers, and new information on the use of para formaldehyde pills, which can lead to more decay in trees.