Help! I can't find the old tap wounds!

[Goggleeye]

All ready to tap this weekend, and I found a new problem. While hanging tubing the past couple days, I have come to realize that on quite a few of my trees, I can't see the tap wound from just two years ago:o. So, how do I make sure I don't hit stained, non-functional wood? Inny, minny, miney, moe? Let the 4-year old have the drill? How do the rest of you go about it? Tap all on the north side one year, east the next, and so on?

Mark

[maple flats]

Look carefully, the tap hole will have a slightly different bark look, very seldom if ever is it impossible to find old tap holes.

[buckeye gold]

I will add a twist to this. I stay at the same height until I've went around a tree. After I've made it around do I move up or down, or should i use a different approach. Heck I tapped thousands of taps (with a hand brace and bit) as a kid, but my dad told us where to tap. The family quit the business for 30+ years and my cousin took it back up a few years ago and then I decided to do it after vandals burnt his Sugar shack and he quit. I'm still working up to getting past the hobby stage though. What I find now is I wish I'd paid more attention to what the old timers were dong!

[Dan W]

I have been sugaring for 6 or 7 years. I know what you are talking about-the first holes can be hard to see. Last year I switched to 5/16 taps and I can see an even bigger problem with the smaller holes. What I do is tap in a counter clockwise pattern. It is pretty easy to see last years hole. I move to the left a couple of inches and up or down about 6 inches for the new tap. If you think about it, a 12 inch tree has a circumference of about 36 inches. Moving 3 inches around every year, it would take 12 years to go all the way around. At that point you could begin an entire new circle above or below and do the same thing again. Keep in mind that the tree has grown over the past 12 years and the 2nd ring around may take lets say 14 years. So with all that said, to go around that tree twice on 2 different levels, it would take about 26 years. I think that then there would be enough new growth over the first hole you tapped 26 years ago that you coule tap in the very same place and have new and healthy wood. These are just my thoughts and have no scientific or experience backing. I doubt I will be sugaring in 25 years, but you young guys might have to think about this. Dan.

[500592]

What ever you do don't tap in a circle around the tree it will weaken the tree

[buckeye gold]

500592, Thanks for your comment. As soon as I read it, it struck home that I shouldn't go horizontally around my trees, duh what an brain fart. I feel like an idiot. I actually looked at my trees and discovered I have varied height some. I have only been tapping this property for 4 years, all the old operation was on the family homestead. so I am actually ok with were I am. As I said I should have paid more attention to what dad told me, but he's with the Lord now and I can't ask him. Hey after 30+ years I'm allowed to forget somethings, I hope. I am lucky that most of my trees are 18" plus in diameter and several 24+ so it'll take while before I'm around them.

[oneoldsap]

That practice is called girdling , it's most often used to kill trees ! Use the barber pole method , around and up at the same time .

[buckeye gold]

I'm not trying to be argumentative, but you won't girdle a tree by tapping around it over 10-20 or 40 years. You have to completely cut and separate the cambium layer all the way around a tree to kill it by girdling. Then they will still heal sometimes, depending on species. I've done way too much timber stand improvement to believe that tapping around a tree will girdle it to death. Now it may weaken the tree and impair sap flow, but most likely will not kill it outright.

[Goggleeye]

Thanks for the advice, guys. I tapped about 110 trees today, and for the most part, I found last year's scar, moved a quarter turn or so clockwise and a little vertical distance, and hoped for the best. So far, all wet taps. I had no idea how hard it would be to find the 2-year old scars on some of my trees. Having a system will sure help for years down the road.
Mark