Question for Dr. Tim

[twitch]

Does growth ring size have a connection to sugar content of sap? If trees are fertilized over time will their sugar content increase? How much does it have to do with genetics. I ask because my new gravity set up is below a field that gets hen manure spread on it every year and i am surprised at the sugar content of these woods trees first run was 2% got up to 2.5% also surprised by the amount of sap I have pulled 1400 gallons off 135 taps. My dad and my uncle cut this lot 40 years ago and left all the 6" and 8" sugar maple most of the tress are around 20" to 24" now. They left them with intentions of cutting them but I think I have stopped that they really made a great little sugar bush can't wait to see what they look like in the next 40 years. Thanks Twitch

[DrTimPerkins]

Does growth ring size have a connection to sugar content of sap? If trees are fertilized over time will their sugar content increase? How much does it have to do with genetics. I ask because my new gravity set up is below a field that gets hen manure spread on it every year and i am surprised at the sugar content of these woods trees first run was 2% got up to 2.5% also surprised by the amount of sap I have pulled 1400 gallons off 135 taps. My dad and my uncle cut this lot 40 years ago and left all the 6" and 8" sugar maple most of the tress are around 20" to 24" now. They left them with intentions of cutting them but I think I have stopped that they really made a great little sugar bush can't wait to see what they look like in the next 40 years. Thanks Twitch

Apologies up front for the brief reply.

Yes....whatever you do to increase the health and growth of trees, whether it is thinning or applying fertilizer (if needed) will increase either the sap volume or sap sugar content or both. Some of what you get from a tree is genetically controlled, but growth conditions also play a rather large part. The first thing you should do before tubing (or retubing) a woods is get in there and do some crop tree management (thinning) to encourage good strong growth. You'll end up with more sap, and probably sweeter sap.

On the other side, over-fertilizing or fertilizing with something the soils already have in abundance will NOT help, and can possible cause harm.

[Adk sugar bush]

That might explain something for me. I tapped about 100 trees (gravity) this year, and only have about 5 gal. of syrup so far. This is in the Adirondacks, and is still running, but would be surprised if final yield is more than 8-9 gal., which seems to be about half of what I hear people getting. I've never done any forest thinning or management and some trees are crowded. I'm glad I read this - I'm guessing according to what Dr. Tim says, I'm probably getting low sugar and sap yield. (Syrup is just as tasty though!)

[Michael Greer]

One of the things I like about buckets, is that you get feedback from each individual tree. When I find a very full bucket, I look up. Why is this tree producing so well? Does it have an ample crown? Is it well placed with sun, and slope, and soil? Likewise, when I get a tablespoon of sap, I look up. What's going on with this tree. (Oh, I see, There's no tree up there!) Is it too crowded to ever get to the sun? Is it clinging to the bedrock with only an inch of soil? Is the highway killing it with salt and heat? Or is it a mystery.... There are a few trees that we don't bother to tap at all, though you would expect, from the looks of it, that it would be a good tree. That kind of feedback will help you make decisions when it's time to do a bit of thinning.
Some trees do their best work in the arch instead of the evaporator.

[PerryW]

One of the things I like about buckets, is that you get feedback from each individual tree. When I find a very full bucket, I look up. Why is this tree producing so well? Does it have an ample crown? Is it well placed with sun, and slope, and soil? Likewise, when I get a tablespoon of sap, I look up. What's going on with this tree. (Oh, I see, There's no tree up there!) Is it too crowded to ever get to the sun? Is it clinging to the bedrock with only an inch of soil? Is the highway killing it with salt and heat? Or is it a mystery.... There are a few trees that we don't bother to tap at all, though you would expect, from the looks of it, that it would be a good tree. That kind of feedback will help you make decisions when it's time to do a bit of thinning.
Some trees do their best work in the arch instead of the evaporator. Yes, I have 60 buckets I hang for the same reasons. I pretty much know which trees to aviod tapping because they never run well and can walk right past them and tap a good tree that might be a longer walk. I have one huge tree w/ 3 buckets that is at least a 400' round-trip of walking. That tree put out more sap that a couple tubing strings w/ 20 taps over the last 10 days! The sap is also noticably sweeter. I really need to get another 50 or so buckets as there are more nice field trees to tap on my gathering route.