maplestudent
03-18-2014, 08:15 AM
I'm curious about the affect, if any, that ground surface contaminants may have of maple sap and the resulting maple syrup end product. I don't really know the biological process of a maple tree to any great detail (though I must admit I may have BS'd some unsuspecting soul in the past, but certainly not here on mapletrader).
While taking a walk through my woods yesterday (at least there is one advantage of sub-freezing daytime temps - walking atop frozen snow) I was observing the various animal tracks in the snow. There is one area where deer go through a lot, and I often see a lot of droppings in that area. Part of that area will also accumulate surface water when the snow melts or it rains a lot. It could stay wet for weeks after the snow melts. It got me wondering what affect the dropping-steeped surface water might have on sap/syrup.
Similarly, I have a cluster of 3 trees near a road that is sometimes treated with road salt during the winter. Although the road pavement slopes in the opposite direction (away from my trees due to a curve in the road) there is a slope down from the road, to a low area that has an accumulation of surface water for a good portion of the year. My trees are on the opposite side of the low area, say 12 to 15 feet from the edge of the high-water line. I sometimes wonder if salt sprayed over the edge of the pavement can work its way down to the surface water. And if it does, can it be absorbed by the tree? Can it end up in the sap? And if it ends up in the sap, when it is boiled down, is the concentration enough that it can be filtered out?
So I'm curious about the affects of surface contaminants on maple sap. Any thoughts on this would be appreciated.
While taking a walk through my woods yesterday (at least there is one advantage of sub-freezing daytime temps - walking atop frozen snow) I was observing the various animal tracks in the snow. There is one area where deer go through a lot, and I often see a lot of droppings in that area. Part of that area will also accumulate surface water when the snow melts or it rains a lot. It could stay wet for weeks after the snow melts. It got me wondering what affect the dropping-steeped surface water might have on sap/syrup.
Similarly, I have a cluster of 3 trees near a road that is sometimes treated with road salt during the winter. Although the road pavement slopes in the opposite direction (away from my trees due to a curve in the road) there is a slope down from the road, to a low area that has an accumulation of surface water for a good portion of the year. My trees are on the opposite side of the low area, say 12 to 15 feet from the edge of the high-water line. I sometimes wonder if salt sprayed over the edge of the pavement can work its way down to the surface water. And if it does, can it be absorbed by the tree? Can it end up in the sap? And if it ends up in the sap, when it is boiled down, is the concentration enough that it can be filtered out?
So I'm curious about the affects of surface contaminants on maple sap. Any thoughts on this would be appreciated.