Showing 611 – 620 of all 727 resources in the database

Vacuum Sap Collection: How High or Low Should You Go?

Questions of how vacuum affects maple sap, syrup and trees have existed for many years, and these issues are perhaps more important today than ever before due to the increasing use of collection systems that can achieve very high levels of vacuum. This article will describe recent research performed at the University of Vermont Proctor Maple Research Center that was designed to answer questions about high vacuum.

Lecanium Scale: What A Sticky Mess!

If you have a sugarbush in the Northeast, you may have noticed brown scale insects, sticky dripping honeydew, and black sooty mold on your sugar maple leaves in 2005 and 2006. That most likely was European fruit lecanium scale, Parthenolecanium corni.

Results from the 2007 New England tapping survey

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.

Comparison of the “Small” Spout with the Traditional 7/16″ Spout

The “small” spout, 19/64″ or 5/16″ in diameter, has been widely available to maple producers since the mid to late 1990’s as a “healthy” alternative to the traditional 7/16″ spout. While now in general use by producers in some regions, particularly those collecting sap by vacuum, the utility of these smaller spouts is still questioned by many sugarmakers, particularly those collecting sap by gravity. This article will review several studies conducted at the University of Vermont Proctor Maple Research Center comparing 7/16″ spouts with small spouts (for the purposes of this article, 5/16″, and 19/64″ will be considered equally as “small” spouts).

Survey of Important Issues Facing the Maple Industry

In October, in Green Bay, an informal needs assessment survey was conducted by Sumner Dole, Henry Marckres and Kathy Hopkins to identify the most pressing issues facing the maple industry.

Maple sugaring budgeting worksheets

An Excel spreadsheet that can be used to determine profitability and project the impact of altering management practices.

Comparison of Visual Grading Methods

There does not appear to have been a published comparison of the different grading kits subsequent to the research that introduced caramel standards followed by glass standards. Consequently, we undertook a comparison of most of the grading kits that are currently in use.

Influence of Demographic Characteristics on Production Practices within the Ohio Maple Syrup Industry

Maple syrup production contributes approximately $5 million annually to OhioÕs economy and provides supplemental nontimber forest product income for forestland owners. To better understand the factors that influence this important nontimber forest industry in Ohio, including producer heritage, producer age, sap collection methods, size of maple operation, and educational programming, we conducted a detailed survey of all known Ohio maple syrup producers (761 total producers). Over 80% of producers responded to the survey (620 respondents), making our analysis one of the most extensive of a maple industry in North America.

The Chemical Composition of Maple Syrup

This article is meant to be an introduction to the chemistry of maple sap and syrup: in particular, what makes this sweet liquid maple syrup instead of just a concentrated sugar solution? The types of sugars, the trace ingredients, and the mineral content make maple syrup more than just plain sugar water.