No other way around it

[adk1]

I will be tapping down to 6-7" dia maples this year. Not happy about it, but thats what I got. If that is what you had would you tap them?

[xyz5150]

How many 6-7" trees do you have? I personally wouldn't tap them but I'm probably not in the same situation. I have a 90 acre wood lot and the dominate species is hard/sugar maple i use 10" + sugar maples to support my lat lines. Last year i taped 93 all over 18" dia, this year i am going to tap about 150 by adding about 100 ft of main line and going down to 15" dia trees. I am only 39 so anything less than 15" i will save for future tapping. My entire tubing system is on about 3 acres now if i want to get out of control i have another 87 acres to go.:D

[red maples]

I do tap a few trees that are that small but I don't really care because they will eventually get thinned. They might still get tapped for another year or 3 but I will eventually get to them!!! Other wise its 10" or over or a very heathly 9" . In smaller trees sugar is lower means more boiling and you will get less sap as well.

[Bucket Head]

No, I would not tap them, unless they were to be culled. Are there no other properly sized/aged maples near you?

Steve

[Thad Blaisdell]

I tap a bunch that size. Use 5/16 or smaller. They heal almost completely the first year.

[maplecrest]

use 1/4 clear and they heal in 3 months. just do not crack the wood. those little trees run early and fast and quit mid afternoon on my east bush. they are fast healers, and will take a beating.what i do is if two close to each other i tap one, one year and the other the next. for more future tapping wood.finding places to tap runs out on little trees over the years. cut down a maple planted in 1850 and you could see they tapped it at 6 inches

[adk1]

I would say out of my 120 maples, 1/4 ofthem are under 8". I ahve alot in the 10-12" then only a couple dozen 24"+

[maple flats]

I only tap that size on trees that will be culled, and then only 3-4 total such trees. Tapping that size will result in having no good wood to tap after only a few years. Besides, the sap can't have much sugar because little ones like that have such a small canopy. About the only way it might work is if you tap one section each year on a 2 or better 3 yr rotation until they reach 10" or so. The % will still be lower but the trunk won't run out of tapable space.

[GeneralStark]

This is always an interesting debate...I'll throw some fuel on ... for organic certification 9" is the minimum size tree for one tap.

[Thad Blaisdell]

I only tap that size on trees that will be culled, and then only 3-4 total such trees. Tapping that size will result in having no good wood to tap after only a few years. Besides, the sap can't have much sugar because little ones like that have such a small canopy.

I dont believe that for a minute. I have a bunch of smaller trees tapped. I averaged just below 6lbs per tap. If I didnt get much out of those then my other trees ran to beat the band. These little trees run quite well, not as long in the day as bigger trees but run none the less. If you have them tap them. Dont over do it, dont kill them. use small spouts, its amazing how fast they heal.

[adk1]

Thad, I tend to agree, but I have no choice in the matter if I want to make syrup. I am using 5/16" spouts with check valves. I will let ya all know how it goes!