Annual Meeting Research Presentations
Summaries of research presentations at the 2014 annual NAMSC meeting.
Periodical: Maple Syrup Digest
Showing 131 – 140 of 218 resources
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).
Producing Syrup from Black Walnut Trees in the Eastern United States
Though it is not well known, all species of walnut (Juglans spp.) produce a sweet sap that can be boiled down into valuable syrup. There is a well-established resource of black walnut (Juglans nigra) trees throughout eastern North America that could be utilized for syrup production to complement existing sugaring operations.
Imidacloprid contamination of maple sap following Asian longhorned beetle quarantine treatment
Both the Asian longhorned beetle and the use of imidacloprid to protect sugar maples from this pest pose a threat to maple syrup producers.
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.
Some in maple season and out of season tests on 3/16″ maple tubing
3/16″ tubing can provide some yield benefit by creating natural vacuum. That benefit will be directly related to the elevation drop of the lateral line.
Crown Release Equals More and Sweeter Sap
Have you ever wondered why open grown trees produce more and sweeter sap than the ones growing close to each other? To answer these questions, I would like to share with you from my 37 years of experience in forest management.
Microbial Contamination in Maple Syrup
Occasionally, maple syrup becomes contaminated with floating masses or surface mold. Conventional practices have been to discard obvious mold growths, re-boil and then consume the syrup. This practice may be risky, especially with the increasing number of food borne illness outbreaks with other food products and the resulting negative publicity surrounding these outbreaks.
A Model of the Tapping Zone
A model that calculates the proportions of conductive and nonconductive wood in the tapping zone of a tree over time given user-input values for tree diameter and tapping practices.
2013 Maple Tubing Research
In 2013 a variety of spout and tubing cleaning and replacement options were tested to determine the extent of sap yield changes that would result. Most of these tests were done at the Cornell Arnot Research Forest.