Tapping red maple
Sugarmakers should consider tapping red maples to supplement sap production from sugar maples.
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Sugarmakers should consider tapping red maples to supplement sap production from sugar maples.
This study examines the effects of summer drought on the composition and profiles of cold-season reserve and soluble carbohydrates in sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) trees (50-100 years old or-200 years old) in which the crowns were nondamaged or damaged by the 1998 ice storm. The overall cold season reserve carbohydrate profiles in twig wood tissue of drought-stressed (DS) trees and non-drought-stressed (NDS) trees were generally similar, although differences were observed in the amount of reserve carbohydrates in DS and NDS trees. The cold-season level of starch stored in DS trees in early autumn in the wood tissue was about one-third to one-fifth that in NDS trees. The cold season sugar content in the DS trees was significantly greater than can be attributed to degradation of stored starch, only.
How sap pressure and flow interacts in maple trees during the sugaring season.
Research on metabolism off-flavor in maple syrup at the University of Vermont Proctor Maple Research and Extension Center (PMREC) had two main objectives. The first was to identify the primary compound(s) responsible for metabolism off-flavor in maple syrup. Once the responsible compound or compounds were identified, measures to reduce or remove the off-flavor from finished maple syrup could be investigated. Thus, the second main objective was to determine whether a technique could be found that maple producers and packers might employ to effectively remediate the flavor, and thereby increase the economic value, of metabolized maple syrup.
Tapping trees creates a wound that the trees are usually able to heal. But what is the impact of tapping on trees?
This tiny insect can cause major leaf “tatter” and flower damage on sugar maples and orchard trees, by feeding and laying eggs on the young leaves and flowers as the buds open in spring.
The cost of fuel in a typical oil-fired, Open Pan Evaporator (O.P.E.) for a 4000 tap operation can represent 20% of the total syrup production costs. Vapor Compression Evaporation (V.C.E.) offers a method of capturing lost energy and improving the fuel consumption of an O.P.E. Most of the energy goes up in steam and this unit will recapture lost energy to reuse.
There are a variety of reasons why sugarmakers might want to tap earlier than the traditional date: thousands of taps that take several weeks to install, lower snow cover and easier walking before mid to late winter, climate change generally moving the season forward and providing more sap flow weather in January and February. For most sugarmakers, the bottom line is simply this: what tapping time frame results in the highest sap yield? The experiments described below, which were performed between 2000 and 2007, were designed to answer this question.
Results of an annual survey conducted of New England sugarmakers, capturing information on production practices and results, such as types of equipment used, sap sugar content, sanitation practices, and other data.
Sap filters can remove residue or debris, which may inadvertently enter the sap through the collection system or during storage. Moreover, filtering may improve the storage potential of maple sap, improve sap quality especially during mid- to late-season and help in keeping the evaporator system clean.