Tapping 2013

[skinny78]

Wow, what a hot dry summer! So how does a drought effect maple syrup production? Will tapping the trees in 2013 kill them?

[sjdoyon]

Matthew, review the site, Dr. Perkins (UVM) has addressed this issue multiple times. He even provides a full proof test to try.

[Goggleeye]

I've been wondering the same. Here in SE Missouri, the spigot turned off April 19. While we had ample ground moisture going into summer, we had only 2" of rain between April 19 and August 16. We then had great soaking rains that restored much of the soil moisture. Somehow, the leaves remained green through the "exceptional" drought, with the exception of a few rocky west/south slopes. I don't know if leaf color changes are any indicator of tree health, but we had the most colorful & brilliant fall foliage I can ever remember. My main concern is that of a lack of new growth over last year's tap hole. I still plan on tapping like normal this winter. Any thoughts?