Calculating- Wood needed for a gallon of syrup ?

[TerryEspo]

I have been reading for an hour searching for an old post of someone who explained how much wood was needed for a gallon of syrup, BTU,s and such was in the post I think.

Does anyone know the answer or remember that post?

For sure there will be variables , just assuming wood is dry, mixed hard and soft wood etc.

Thanks

[Maplesapper]

I pulled this off of the 2011 forum:
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the standard in the NAMPM is 25 gallons/cord. I would assume that alot of it depends on what type.

[PACMAN]

I used 5 full cord last year of mixed beach and hemlock. the wood was cut for over a year and I made 71 gallons of syrup last year. I also have a preheater on my rig and use rail and pan gasket. Hope that helped.

[Maplesapper]

Seems answers run from 15-20 all the way to 100 gallons of sap per cord.
Still coming up empty on a btu/ per gallon ratio.
Will keep lookin'

[TerryEspo]

BTU calculation is not really important to me, I only said that because I thought it was mentioned in the post I cant find. I am shocked if even 15 gallons can be made from one cord of wood.
Now maybe I need to talk what type of cord, face cord or not, lol.
Where I live we call a cord, a row of wood, 4 feet high, 8 feet long, and all wood is 16'-18 in length. I think its called a face cord, not sure. Anyway, I don't think I can make 5 gallons syrup with my cord of wood, face cord.

I would love to hear from others what they figure you use for wood to syrup ratio.

Thanks

[happy thoughts]

Isn't it also going to depend on the sap sugar content? Low sugar is going to take a lot more wood.

[happy thoughts]

Terry- I found this in an old copy of the US Maple Producers Manual


Based on $25 per cord of wood, the fuel to produce a gallon of sirup would cost about $1.This represents about 10 percent of the cost of sirup production . The heating values of different wood fuels expressed in British thermal units (B.t.u.'s) for a standard 4- by 4- by 8-foot cord are maple, 22,800,000; beech, 20,900,000; and hickory, 24,800,000.

Like someone else said that's 25 gals/ full cord. Your face cord is about 1/3 of a full cord.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

On a smaller evaporator like a 2x6, 2x8, 3x8, etc, it is going to get around 15 gallon to possibly 20 on a stock evapotor. Once you get into longer evaporators, then you may go closer to 25 gallon per cord of wood.

[PerryW]

I have been reading for an hour searching for an old post of someone who explained how much wood was needed for a gallon of syrup, BTU,s and such was in the post I think.

Does anyone know the answer or remember that post?

For sure there will be variables , just assuming wood is dry, mixed hard and soft wood etc.

Thanks

for me, 1 cord of softwood will make 15 gallons of syrup.

[maple flats]

Just calculate that you will make 10 gal/ full cord mixed hardwood (a cord is a well stacked pile, 4' x 4' x 8'). Then figure you'll make twice as much syrup as you think possible. Then after the season you will have enough ahead to either have a good start on the season or maybe even all of it. Don't give up then, start cutting and splitting ahead for the following year. Well seasoned wood is key for highest efficiency. If you try to keep a year and a half ahead you won't get in trouble. I read on here every year about those who had to either quit before the the buds break or they go out and cut a tree(s) to keep going. When you have the wood cut and split, stack it well, keep it off the ground, and cover the top but not the sides for best drying. Old pallets seem to work good to raise the stack off the ground.

[Loch Muller]

I used a little less than a cord (4x4x8) last year to go through 424 gallons of sap making 14 gallons of syrup on my half pint. I keep my sugaring and house heating wood stacked on free pallets from the lumber yard like mapleflats suggested, works good. Cut as much as you possibly can, I'd have 5 years worth if I had the time to cut it and room to stack it.

[Scribner's Mountain Maple]

I ran a 4*12 for years and it was "Stock". No preheat, etc. It would do about 20 gallons per cord. Now I have a new to me 6*16. It has a blower and steam away. It will only get about 40 gal per cord. A producer over the hill from me has an RO, concentrates to nearly 20% and he gets 400 gal per cord +/-.

Seems most evaporation rates per cord on "Stock" units are relatively the same. 15 for small to med units and 20-25 for larger.

I am so glad this will be my last year without RO. I plan to burn a cord every 4 hours in my arch with a total on the season of 25-30 cord. Good fun.

[Sugarmaker]

We made 200 gallon of syrup last year on about 9 full cord of pallet and slab wood. 4 x 4 x 8 mixed hard wood. Sap sugar content never was lower than 2%. Our rig is a old King arch 3 x 10 and pans, with a steamaway. Also AOF and AUF. All little things help. R.O. really reduces the wood consumption.
Regards,
Chris

[mapleguy]

You should figure 1 cord of mixed hardwood for every 100 taps. I found this to be very accurate.