Starting a sugarbush

[cjmiller272]

I have a family farm with about 150 maples scattered amongst 30 acres of woods, I would love to take a small 5 acre feild that has a steady slope and plant it full of maples, has any one ever tried to start a sugarbush from scratch, any mistakes I could learn from?

[adk1]

I have a family farm with about 150 maples scattered amongst 30 acres of woods, I would love to take a small 5 acre feild that has a steady slope and plant it full of maples, has any one ever tried to start a sugarbush from scratch, any mistakes I could learn from?

The only thing that I can say is that depending on your age, you may not get to tap them yourself. I would definatly go ahead and do that though!

[Revi]

Cornell has developed some sweet trees that have a higher sugar content and there is something called RPM that gets them going much faster. Check it out, but I have a friend who is planting about 5 acres of maples and he got the sweet trees. It will still be about 20 years before they are tappable, but they will be really productive when they get going.

[cjmiller272]

I am 25 so id hope id get to tap with my kids and grandkids

[BobU]

The best time to plant trees was 20 years ago, the next best time is now.

You are young enough to get great "use" of these trees, but even if you were not someone would be glad you took the time to plant. Maybe those grandkids.

[adk1]

I totally agree. I have been trans planting sugar maples to an logged off area of my sugarbush (logged of pine). By the time I am done, I will have planted 50 or so

[cjmiller272]

I discussed transplanting vs, planting little saplings, my forester said in most cases the 5 or 6 years it takes a tramsplant to reestablish itself, the saplings would be roughly same size. Obviously depends on size of transplant. But at a cost of about $600 for 1000 saplingsplus $300 to rent a planter, seems much more practical

[Flat Lander Sugaring]

reg sugar maple like 50 or 60 years, the sweet maples aren't they silver maples?

[cjmiller272]

I looked into the sweet trees, they were basically trees started from high sugar content parent trees, looks like they abandoned the program for now and gave or sold seeds to rpmecosystems, they have a special growing technique to start the seedlings, some sweet trees can be 5 foot @ 18mths old, seems like a pretty good jump start. Don't know the costs yet.

[220 maple]

Every now and then I get ideas that bounce around in the empty space above my neck.
We should gather some seeds and exchange with others on this site. Basically all it would require is a stamp and envelope. Five or ten seeds from one of our favorite trees in are sugar bush. Just imagine having a tree growing in your new bush that you knew the state of orgin. I have many Black Maples in my woods, they are noted as being super sweet. The Maple Syrup Manuel shows the Black Maple Range being in Ohio, I've asked Ohio producers if they have lots of Black Maple? Most answer that they have never seen one! The unusual thing is the map in the manuel does not include my area as being in the Black Maple Range.
Maple Seed Exchange, think about it? Pro's spreading the Maple Tree Gene Pool. Con's Dr. Perkins could help with that?
Yes I'm to old to be planting trees from seeds, but hopefully my son will continue someday?

Mark 220 Maple

[DrTimPerkins]

Con's Dr. Perkins could help with that?

Can't say as I like being thought of as the "con man", but what the heck. :lol:

In most cases it would probably not be a problem to plant seed from one area to another. The biggest exception to that would be when taking southern origin seed and planting it in the northern reaches. They probably wouldn't do as well (wrong provenance), but then again, maples tend to be fairly hardy to most things.

Open-pollinated sweet tree seed would have, on average, just a slightly higher tendancy to be sweeter than average. That is because the pollen source is from whatever happens to blow by, and also because the heritability of the genes for sweetness isn't particulary robust. Still, a little better is better than no better.

As for RPM sweet trees from Cornell. RPM is undergoing bankruptcy and liquidation of all assets. Probably no more trees coming from there for a while.

[Flat Lander Sugaring]

Can't say as I like being thought of as the "con man", but what the heck. :lol:

The biggest exception to that would be when taking southern origin seed and planting it in the northern reaches.

The South Will Rise Again!:D

[holey_bucket]

[QUOTE=DrTimPerkins;157201]Can't say as I like being thought of as the "con man", but what the heck. :lol:

In most cases it would probably not be a problem to plant seed from one area to another. The biggest exception to that would be when taking southern origin seed and planting it in the northern reaches. They probably wouldn't do as well (wrong provenance), but then again, maples tend to be fairly hardy to most things.

Open-pollinated sweet tree seed would have, on average, just a slightly higher tendancy to be sweeter than average. That is because the pollen source is from whatever happens to blow by, and also because the heritability of the genes for sweetness isn't particulary robust. Still, a little better is better than no better.

As for RPM sweet trees from Cornell. RPM is undergoing bankruptcy and liquidation of all assets. Probably no more trees coming from there for a while.[/QUOTE





Has anyone heard if RPM made it? Or, did any one else pick up the production of these sweet trees?

[Mitch]

Huh. RPM's nursery is 5 mile from me. It's only been there a few years. Their website is here: http://rpmecosystems.com Their office is evidently down by the airport. If they're being liquidated, their creditors would presumably rather have cash than trees, so it might be worth finding out who will be selling off the stock and how they'll be taking bids.

My nephew worked there for the summer a couple years ago, but that was before we took an interest in sugaring, this past spring. So I've never questioned him about the place.

[220 maple]

Dr. Tim,
I was thinking that the Southern Trees have adapted or are trying to adapt to the heat?
And since the heat is moving north due to climate change the Southern Trees will survive the summer heat of 2050!. I believe my Sugars will be long gone by then. My Reds will survive since they grow and survive in Florida. They have them planted around the Canadian Pavillion at the World Showcase in Epcot. Apparently they didn't have any luck with Sugars growing in Florida. I bet it has something to do with the Heat.

Mark 220 Maple

[Mitch]

I did a little googling and found a couple articles about the RPM bankruptcy:

http://www.uticaod.com/elections/x1417300154/Company-in-line-for-federal-funds-through-Arcuri-files-for-bankruptcy

http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=107491664

Evidently they filed for chapter 11 on June 8, 2010, and continued to operate while trying to reorganize. That must have not worked out, as they were converted to chapter 7 (liquidation) on May 19, just a few weeks ago.

[cjmiller272]

Boy id love to get more info on bidding for some super sweets, I called the office for the midwest no mention of any bankruptcy but not sure how that all works with businesses, the did say I could buy rpm maples for $10-$13 a peice. A bit pricey but maybe liquidation prices are more tolerable. Like to hear more

[Thompson's Tree Farm]

Prices quoted earlier were in he $20 range so $10 to 13 isn't bad.

[cjmiller272]

What about spacing, and size, I want to mow in between. Do I plant 1000 trees close together like a plantation with intentions of thinning, or do I plant 1000 with lots of space and hope they all survive?