Tapping High on the Tree - is it OK?

[PapaSmiff]

I have a small hobby operation. My neighbor has a very large sugar maple close to the 6-foot fence between our yards. He said I can tap it. But I don't want to put a hole through the fence. There are no limbs until about 8 ft. of the ground.

Can I tap at about 7 ft off the ground and run tubing over my fence? There WAS a limb at about 6 feet, but it was cut off long ago.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

You can tap as high as you want. I have several trees I tap off a ladder and as high as 10' so I can get proper slope on my tubing.

[PapaSmiff]

WVMapler - Thanks. I had once been told that you should not tap above the first branches. I'm not sure why, except that there probably would be less sap. But since those branches have been removed, I won't worry about it.

Thanks again for the feedback.

[maple flats]

I have one tap at 13' for slope and a few others just under that height. They still flow but likely not as much as one at waist height. This will be my last season that high because next season I will have vacuum in that bush and will use a sap ladder.

[ennismaple]

You can tap as high as you want but there is a decrease in sap yield as you go up.

[spud]

I think you loose pressure in the tree the higher you go up. Dr. Tim would know for sure though. Hope you have a great season.

Spud

[DrTimPerkins]

I think you loose pressure in the tree the higher you go up. Dr. Tim would know for sure though.

Correct. You will lose both pressure and sap yield. However....if that's the only way to get to it....go for it.

[lafite]

I have a question regarding the height,: One of my lateral lines will start with a huge tree that must be 30+ inches. after about 8-9 feet it splits into 4 huge sections, each 14+ inches. My thought was to tap each of the 4 sections with one tap to start my lateral line. This would give me a great slope with which to work a 200 foot section.

What would be your thoughts on this?